Unions used to be the backbone of this nation’s labor force. Without them, modern workers wouldn’t have many of the protections they now enjoy – including things like safety rules, limitations on hours and overtime.
In recent years, however, unions have been on the decline – and many employers would like to convince their employees that unions are not only a thing of the past but actually detrimental.
Look at Google’s secret plans to make employees think unions are bad
The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) recently disclosed information about Google’s efforts to make their employees believe “that unions suck” in a campaign nicknamed “Project Vivian.”
Aside from orchestrating a deliberate anti-union propaganda campaign, the tech giant even fired four workers for trying to unionize. (Officially, Google says that they were fired because they shared confidential information, which was a security violation).
This isn’t exactly an uncommon problem for workers. No matter what the industry, employers would be far happier if unions simply disappeared. That’s why it’s important to know the following things:
- Your employer can restrict your unionizing activity during work time so long as their policies are non-discriminatory.
- Your employer cannot stop you from talking about unionizing or distributing union information during non-work time, such as breaks and lunch hours, or before you clock in and after you clock out.
- Your employer cannot stop you from distributing union literature or talking about unionizing in non-work areas (even in the workplace), such as the bathroom, the break room or the parking lot.
- Your employer cannot threaten you, demote you, retaliate against you in any way, or fire you for trying to unionize.
As shown by the Google case, not every employer plays by the rules. If you believe you were wrongfully terminated for talking about a union or your rights as a worker, it may be time to seek legal guidance.