Corporate Unionbusting Continues, Even as Unionized Workforce Shrinks

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.inthesetimes.com/working/entry/5474/corporate_unionbusting_continues_even_as_unionized_workforce_shrinks/

Tuesday January 26 4:46 pm


A woman attends a Washington, D.C., rally in March 2009 to support the 'Employee Free Choice Act.' (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)


By Roger Bybee

A couple months ago, a student of mine at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee got desperate for money to support himself and his son, and applied for a job at Target.

Even before working a single minute, Target subjected him and other new workers to a "captive audience" meeting where a slick, hard-hitting anti-union video was aired.

There's no union drive going on in Milwaukee among Target workers, but the giant retailer—like much of Corporate America—isn't taking any chances with a Democrat in the White House, and passage of the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) on the political horizon.

MOVEMENT ON EFCA?

Target is starting its indoctrination early, because like other big retailers such as CVS and Ikea, the Swedish-owned home furnishings company, it has been worried about the now-remote possibility that a strong EFCA could be enacted. As originally drafted, the legislation would provide for speedy elections, curb management threats, and provide for recognition of the union when a majority of workers signed authorization cards.

Prior to the victory of Republican Scott Brown last week in Massachusetts, which deprived Democrats of their theoretically filibuster-proof 60 vote edge needed for even a watered-down EFCA to win, Target was stepping up its campaign to prevent unionization efforts that, they feared, would materialize if EFCA ever passed:

"Minneapolis-based Target, the second-biggest U.S. discount retailer, updated its anti-union video for employee training to explain the consequences of the bill, company spokeswoman Donna Egan said in an e-mailed statement," reported Bloomberg News, picking up on information dug up by Mike Whitney at FireDogLake.

FULL story at link.