The recent withdrawal of the Teamsters, Service Employees International Union and United Food and Commercial Workers from the AFL-CIO will undoubtedly result in an increase in union organizing activity, warns Shawe & Rosenthal, LLP, labor law attorneys who have assisted WANADA member dealers in the past.
The three unions withdrew from the AFL-CIO because of disagreements over priorities. Despite record low membership, the AFL-CIO has spent much of its time and money supporting political campaigns. The Teamsters, SEIU and UFCW, three of the most aggressive unions in the AFL-CIO, believe their time and money would be better spent on organizing. Another union, UNITE HERE, boycotted the AFL-CIOês convention over the same issues but has not withdrawn.
The Teamsters, SEIU and UFCW will now be free to reallocate the millions of dollars they pay to the AFL-CIO to increased organizing, according to Shawe & Rosenthal, LLP. The AFL-CIO is likely to follow suit to a lesser extent, to retain member unions that share the withdrawn unionsê concerns. The SEIU is most likely to target employees in health care (nursing homes, hospitals, etc.), building services and state and local government, including employers that operate under government contracts or grants. The Teamsters (described as an A to Z union by its president, Jim Hoffa, Jr.) are most likely to go after transportation and distribution center employees, warehouse workers, etc. The UFCW also represents a broad range of occupations, but concentrates on food processing, chain stores and health care.
Companies are likely to see a significant increase in corporate campaigns, consumer boycotts and political pressure put on government offices that award contracts to non-union companies. These tactics are designed to pressure employers into remaining neutral and/or accepting union card checks. Traditional organizing, i.e., filing petitions for elections with the NLRB, predictably will also increase. The NLRBês election timetable provides a 42-day period from the time a petition is filed until an election so it is important that employers be aware of their workersê concerns.
For more information or assistance with labor issues, contact Shawe Rosenthal, LLP, (410) 752-1040; fax (410) 752-8861; Shaw&Rosenthal@Shaw.com.
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