Archive for Labor

What Communicators Need to Know About EFCA

Mar 06, 2009 No Comments by Charles Pizzo

If a communicator is not tuned into labor relations issues, the big change that the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) represents may not be immediately apparent. With apologies to my international peers, this topic is only relevant for practitioners in America because the legislation will apply exclusively to U.S. labor law.
Under EFCA, HR & employee [...]

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What is EFCA? The Long & Short

Mar 05, 2009 No Comments by Charles Pizzo

Not everyone is up-to-speed about the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA). How one defines it depends upon your position, pro-business or pro-labor. Here are two different perspectives that epitomize the distinction:
Pro-Business Source: SHRM, Society for Human Resource Management
Gist: “SHRM strongly opposes the Employee Free Choice Act”
Full text (opens PDF)

Require the NLRB to certify a union [...]

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Where There’s A Will, There’s A Way

Mar 04, 2009 No Comments by Charles Pizzo

Wondering whether to take EFCA, the Employee Free Choice Act, seriously?
WALL STREET JOURNAL
By KRIS MAHERĀ  (March 4, 2009)
MIAMI — President Barack Obama told AFL-CIO union leaders Tuesday in a videotaped address that the controversial Employee Free Choice Act will pass, signaling his full backing for legislation that makes union organizing easier.
“We will pass the Employee [...]

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Writing for EFCA

Mar 04, 2009 No Comments

When I audit the communications of companies faced with unionization, one thing that stands out is a focus on profits over people. Not that this is wrong in a capitalist economy – but it can leave employees feeling left out. That sentiment can make a company vulnerable to union organizing.
We’re not talking about news release [...]

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The Need for Good HR Communication

Mar 03, 2009 No Comments

In my experience, companies that don’t have formal HR or employee communication programs are the most vulnerable to unionization. The reason is simple: management’s voice is absent. In its place, the rumor mill fills the vacuum.
Despite the fact that most labor attorneys say that communication is important, countless manufacturing and industrial sites don’t communicate on [...]

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