Laborious

HR & Labor Relations Communication | Employee Free Choice Act | Consultant: PR, Crisis, Reputation | Public Speaker | Columnist | Foodie | Eldercaring

Comics Simplify Complex Concepts

Nothing strikes me as more complex and arcane than the National Labor Relations Board process for holding an election (”secret ballot vote”). Fraught with rules, exceptions and technicalities, it’s one of those things that takes a while to understand. At least that’s true for me, as a communication professional who is not an attorney.
So, it [...]

Union Proponents Take Message to Airwaves

Last night, while watching Anderson Cooper 360 on CNN, I saw a television commercial by proponents of the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA). If memory serves, this commercial has run before. Now that EFCA has been introduced into Congress, expect to see this campaign escalate.

Video Link
SCRIPT:
SCREEN: Headline: Frantic Day on Wall Street as Banks Fail [...]

Paycheck Stuffer examples from ABC

Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) has come out swinging against the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA). The group has an entire Web page of resources devoted to the topic, including this example paycheck stuffer with language you could “borrow:”

Text:

The so-called “employee Free Choice Act” or “card check” legislation would strip away the rights of [...]

SEIU pro-EFCA campaign on YouTube

The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) recently posted a video on You Tube in support of the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA). It mocks the horror CEOs and other pro-business types are said to harbor regarding the proposed legislation.
According to CEOs and their front groups, the fabric of our nation may well fall apart, all [...]

What Communicators Need to Know About EFCA

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 [...]

Writing for EFCA

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 [...]

The Need for Good HR Communication

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 [...]