It started out like any other fall day, at Decco, Inc., New England’s premiere provider of high purity pipe fitting, construction, and service work to bio-pharmaceutical, technology, and manufacturing industries. Then “it” came! “What is this?” “An NLRB petition?” Decco’s leadership knew this meant trouble. They didn’t know anything about captive audience rules or a persuader, but they were headed for an NLRB election that would determine the very fate of their company.
Act Now! – Get a Persuader!
Luckily, Decco’s leaders were active in their local chapter of Associated Builders & Contractors (ABC). They engaged the attorney from the chapter to assist them, who immediately advised them to also engage a persuader. With a workforce of more than a hundred and twenty tradespeople spread out over all of New England, she knew that bringing in an experienced persuader greatly increased the company’s odds of winning this fight. Most importantly, the attorney admonished them to act now! Time was not on their side.
The Battle Begins
Jim Allen arrived at Decco’s headquarters and immediately went to work. First, he coordinated with the company’s attorney’s and once that was in place he hit the ground running.
“Jim took immediate and swift action to help us navigate the complex process while also engaging our employees on a personal level. His insight was instrumental in helping us prepare for the election and win the election convincingly. We placed a great amount of trust in Jim and he delivered at every turn- from providing key market research and data to sharing several personal stories from our employees and the impact our decisions were having on their families.”
An employee insider confided in one of their foreman that he heard from a reliable source that the union had north of 70% of the employees sign authorization cards. This was a shock to Decco, but is pretty standard. The rule to get an election is a minimum of 30% of the staff sign a union card. The practical application, however, is that union’s seldom file without a significant majority of the staff having signed. Their logic is sound. They don’t want to lose and they know that most companies will engage their workforce and peel off some union support.
Team Effort – Legal, Persuader, Leadership
No persuader, consulting firm, or law firm can win an election by themselves. There are many that tout their great abilities and various “tricks of the trade”, but all that is so much bluster. A prescription for a union win involves many component parts and all of them must be present to have the best chance of avoiding a loss. You need someone to fight the legal battles that come with the petition; you need a consultant (persuader) to help you run a viable campaign; and you need dedicated, committed and open-minded company leadership team willing to fully engage into the fight!
Tricks of the Trade
Here’s where we give away our secrets. Here’s how we turned a 70+% union advantage into a company victory with 80% of the vote. Stop here to grab a pen so you can take notes. OK you’re back and ready to jot down the secret to winning a union campaign.
Communicate, Communicate, Communicate
… and just when you think you have communicated everything you possibly can – communicate some more! After more than twenty-five years of management-side consulting on these matters, there is no other solution. Let’s look at Decco’s specific situation and show why communication is the key.
Decco Was an Employer of Choice
Shortly after arriving and debriefing with the leadership and administrative staff, Decco’s situation was perplexing. Decco was an excellent company to work for. They paid at or near the top of the market wage scale for all positions. They had excellent benefits including matching 401(k) and health insurance. Factoring out all the various fees the employees would pay as union members, they were demonstrably better off if they were not union members under Decco’s compensation scheme. Even more importantly, and this is huge – working for Decco meant you work.
Decco simply did not lay employees off. The previous winter had a period of extremely heavy snow (it is NewEngland!) and most if not all of Decco’s projects closed because of the storms. It would have been natural and expected for the company to lay off the workers until the jobs restarted. Decco’s core values would not allow that. Decco’s leadership dug into the company’s profits and kept those workers on payroll until the weather broke. That was a terrible business decision – or a genius business decision. If you are a glass half-full person, you know the genius in that decision. By contrast the average union pipe fitter worked a little over half the year. The other half they drew unemployment
Grass is Greener (Snake Oil Salesmen)
Why on Earth did more than 70% of their workers sign a card asking a union to represent them? That’s an easy answer – the grass is always greener on the other side, right? Well, we all know that simply is not true, but a lie told a thousand times becomes the truth.
Professional organizers from Local 537 had been repeating the lie that Decco’s employees were mistreated and needed the union to get a fair deal. They told this lie to the employees time and time again – different phrasing, but same message over and over – you are being mistreated. The organizers were functioning as modern-day snake oil salesmen.
Truth
The truth shall set you free. In most of these election campaigns it comes to light that the company (1) usually has many loyal employees dedicated to the company and its leaders, and (2) something has broken down the relationship or trust between the company and the workers. Decco had both in spades!
The leadership engaged in the campaign under Jim’s direction and reconnected with that lost loyalty. We are not talking about the local foremen we are talking about the top company brass. The CEO, the Vice Presidents, and Project managers got into the field, met with, listened to, and made vital connections with the workers. Leaders communicated with workers and more importantly, workers communicated with leaders who tuned in and listened.
The brass gave their mea culpas. The rules of an election prevented the making of promises to remedy past sins, but sincerity, attitude, access, and availability conveyed the message. Only then could the leadership remind the workers how great the compensation, benefits, and camaraderie at Decco remained.
Value
That is what all of us seek. By any measure, based on the benefits and compensation package provided, the work provided during times of expected layoff, and other factors, Decco valued their employees. Somewhere the communication broke down. Broken communication led to broken trust, and broken trust opened the door for the union to insert a wedge. Decco valued its employees – but its employees had lost sight and its leaders were unaware.
Conclusion
Decco is union-free today because its leaders were humble enough to step back and listen to the advice of those who had experience in these matters. Their attorney with more than thirty years experience suggested quick action and a persuader. Their persuader, Jim Allen, gave them a great deal of direction as he managed their election campaign. Because of their commitment to seeking experts and following their direction, Decco won. Not only did they win, but they won big. They won after starting way behind just like that other famous New England comeback in Super Bowl LI. Way to go Decco!
