Gary Glaser Quoted in Workforce Management

Gary Glaser was quoted in the cover story of the January, 2006 issue of Workforce Management in an article (“Unions’ global end run”) which explores the effect of globalization on union-organizing efforts. American subsidiaries of European companies find themselves bound to union-organizing agreements signed by the parent company in Europe, where the labor movement is much more a part of the social fabric. Germany, for example, requires its companies’ boards of directors to include union members. So, with union membership at an all-time low in the United States, labor leaders here are reaching out to their global counterparts to work together and organize. By creating international agreements with European multinationals, union groups can gain entry into American businesses that previously had fended off organizing efforts.

The global unions are coordinating their efforts by focusing on specific multinational companies. One group, Union Networks International, has a list of 100 multinational employers that they will focus on.

Employers can start assessing their vulnerabilities, Gary advises, but ultimately the best way to avoid becoming a target of a global corporate campaign is to make sure employees are getting benefits and wages that are competitive in the industry. “This is not just about big business versus big unions,” he says. “It’s about what’s best for the employees and the unions still need employees to want them.”