In this 15 minute interview, Jon and Meagan get fast facts from one of several baristas fired this month from Starbucks in Anderson, SC. Workers there recently voted 18-0 to unionize and the company has responded with everything from refusing to bargain to firing organizers and even accusing them of kidnapping their boss.

As we have noted in previous issues, many LM-10 filers, identified by persuader LM-20 filings, have yet to file their 2021 LM-10 reports, which would normally be due at the end of March 2022.  We even demonstrated one case using the OLMS Public Disclosure web page, how it is possible to look up a particular set of LM-20’s, then the persuader’s LM-21 to see if receipts from employers were itemized and then to search for the corresponding LM-10 filings.  Remember, the filing of an LM-20 triggers the requirement that the employer who engaged that persuader must file a corresponding Form LM-10 within ninety days of the close of that employer’s fiscal year. 

Maybe you missed it, but 43-15 podcast co-host Jon Reynolds had a fascinating email exchange with Mom's Organic Market CEO Scott Nash last month. You can read all about it here. 

Many, if not most, American workers are subjected to employer assaults on their right to unionize and freedom of association even before they petition to form a union. That’s exactly what’s happening to employees in Cheyenne, Wyoming who work for Dyno Nobel, an explosives company. An employer-side letter obtained by LaborLab documents lies, threats, and coercion on the part of Dyno Nobel’s management team in an effort to dissuade workers from even thinking about forming a union. The letter, which was sent to all employees, is also full of inaccuracies.

As UPS drivers deal with unprecedented temperatures, lack of air conditioning, and being told by management to simply drink more water and eat watermelon, their employer is shelling out $2,625 a day (plus expenses) to anti-union consultants.

How much money are US employers spending on reporting agreements or arrangements with persuader consultants?  Given the fact that such reportable transactions must, by law, be reported on a publicly-available form available on the US Department of Labor’s Office of Labor Management Standards Online Public Disclosure Room, this should be an easy question to answer.  While the persuader consultant must report the existence of such a reportable arrangement within 30 days and file publicly available Form LM-20, the employer files an LM-10 report by 90 days after the close of their fiscal year.  The LMRDA, OLMS regulations and even the Form LM-10 and LM-20 instructions make it perfectly clear that if an LM-20 is filed, the employer is obligated to file an LM-10. 

The following report is from Jon Reynolds. Reynolds is a freelance writer and organizer. His work can be found in publications such as the Asheville Free Press, Industrial Worker, and Facing South. He also hosts the 43-15 podcast with Meagan Sullivan.

On July 23, I emailed Scott Nash, the CEO of Mom's Organic Market, about his stores carrying products by my former employer, No Evil Foods.

Back in June, LaborLab broke the news that Pfizer has hired an army of union-busters. Since then, we've continued to track Pfizer's anti-worker campaign. 

In July, Camera Health, located near Fresno, California, hired a team of union-busters. Here are the details: