Minority unions were on the rise in 2020. A minority union is essentially “an organization made up of groups of individuals (including traditional employees, temporary employees, and even contractors) who seek to advocate for worker rights and social justice issues in the 21st century workplace.” While many of these minority unions are aligning themselves with more traditional Big Labor unions, they are not technically represented by these unions nor are they granted collective bargaining rights.
That said, employers should take them seriously. Follow this link for a detailed rundown of important employer considerations for minority unions. A few of the top ones include:
- Minority unions are protected under Section 7 of the NLRA and taking adverse action against employees who engage in such conduct is unlawful.
- Bargaining with minority unions is also unlawful. There is a fine line here between listening and responding to the concerns of your workers without ‘direct dealing.’
- Many of the minority unions are centered around social justice causes. Be careful how you position yourself, so as not to create larger issues down the road.
