A labor union was attempting to organize workers at a manufacturing plant owned by a predominantly non-union Midwestern agricultural equipment company. The union initially sought to organize all of the plant’s 200 associates, but after nine months, three petitions, and two NLRB hearings, the union settled for a micro-unit of 50 associates in a specific production department.
People Results’ multipronged engagement included an assessment of the situation, including the reasons contributing to some employees’ pro-union sentiment. We trained the leadership team and front-line managers, all of whom had limited experience with unions and organizing campaigns, to prepare them to engage in legal, effective conversations with their workers. We also conducted research and developed a comprehensive, fact-based education and positive messaging campaign to influence all of the workers and particularly the voters.
The company prevailed in the election by a 2-to-1 margin with 100 percent voter turnout.
Issue:
- With limited company and local managerial experience with labor unions and organizing campaigns, a manufacturing plant recognized the need for campaign strategy and support.
We had to maintain campaign momentum and managerial and employee engagement in the campaign for a protracted period of nine (9) months from the first petition through the election.
Action:
- Strengthened leadership’s labor knowledge and skills, including communication skills during a union campaign, through formal training and regular one-on one coaching sessions.
- Worked with the company and outside legal counsel to resolve
as many of the issues as could be addressed within the legal, financial, and operational parameters of the campaign. - Leveraged the voices of leaders and of employees who did not want to unionize through video testimonials that were uploaded to the campaign website, reinforcing message authenticity.
- Launched a texting campaign
to convey messages and drive employees to the campaign website where they could review more connect with employees and share information.
Result:
- The NLRB conducted the election with 100% voter turnout that resulted in a win for the company by a 2 to 1 margin.
- People Results would later be recommended by their company’s outside counsel to several other clients, demonstrating how counsel valued the expertise and partnership we brought to the case.
Have questions?
Call People Results at 877.448.9741 or contact us online for more information.