Union Activity, Employment Engagement, and Changes in the Manufacturing Industry, Part I

The Labor Law Insider (LLI) podcast welcomes Husch Blackwell partner Anne Mayette on her inaugural trip to the LLI microphone. Anne, who practices out of the firm’s Chicago office, is a seasoned labor and employment lawyer, and joins host Tom Godar to discuss union activity in the manufacturing and related sectors. This is an expansion on the discussion of employment and labor issues in the extensive Manufacturing White Paper published by Husch Blackwell in January 2023. There has been a tremendous increase in organizing activity as well as strikes and other job actions in the manufacturing and related industries, including 32 strikes in 41 locations and 16 labor protests in 17 locations in calendar year 2022, according to Cornell’s tracker. Anne discusses these developments and puts them into a broader context of employee engagement, or lack of engagement, which spurs union organizing activity. Using information compiled in the Manufacturing Industry Analysis, Anne describes a number of areas in which employers could provide more opportunities which would likely increase employee engagement and decrease the chances of successful union activities. The survey suggest that employees look for greater diversity in the workplace, more voice in the workplace, and more meaningful individual and employee group communications from their employer. While none of these observations are shocking, Anne describes practical steps employers can take that would not only decrease the need for employees to seek union intervention, but also increase the success for the organizations as they compete for talent in manufacturing and related industries. Part 2 of the of podcast will continue with more specific examples of employee input on issues, as well as steps to be taken by employers to introduce greater engagement opportunities. Join us for the Labor Law Insider podcast.