Jack Toner Quoted in Two Workforce Management Articles:
“Labor’s Agenda Set to Move to the Front Burner” and
“Prepared for a World of Free Choice?”

Jack Toner was quoted in two January 3, 2010 Workforce Management articles, “Labor’s Agenda Set to Move to the Front Burner” and “Prepared for a World of Free Choice?” Both articles discussed the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) reappearing on the legislative agenda and, if passed, the likelihood of renewed labor political strength leading to greater union activity in the workplace. According to the articles, some companies are trying to pre-empt union gains in their operations in anticipation of EFCA’s approval. Some employers are preparing themselves by increasing communication with employees about compensation, benefits and working conditions.

The “Labor’s Agenda…” article noted it’s likely that a newly constituted National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) will overturn a number of previous rulings dealing with the definition of a supervisor, the use of company e-mail systems during organizing campaigns and the ability of workers to overturn a card-check election that was held with the company’s acquiescence. Jack noted that the NLRB does not have to wait for a labor dispute to come up to try to reform the way that union organizing is conducted. The NLRB—and other agencies—can exert power through proposing new regulations, as the National Mediation Board did. He further noted, “If you go on a case-by-case basis, it can be very time-consuming. The rule-making can be dramatically faster. If they do it by rule-making, they can pick and choose the policies they would like to change.”

According to the “… World of Free Choice” article, more companies than ever are conducting town hall meetings with employees, taking stock of their mood via internal blogs and assessing pay levels. Jack noted that the challenge is that the costs of surveying employees, analyzing pay levels and training managers can add up, especially during a recession. He further commented that “all of these things are expensive.”