How Will Management React?

Without a union, management controls all the money and power, and they want to keep it that way. When workers join together, we win democracy at work and have a voice in the decisions that affect ourselves and those we care for. By staying strong and united, we can raise our voices for better pay, affordable health care, retirement security, job protections and education and training opportunities. It is our right as American workers to join together and protect our jobs, our families and each other.

Predictable Scare Tactics:

Management will do whatever it can to stop us from winning our rights and job improvements that can improve our lives. Unfortunately, these anti-worker campaigns waste resources and take the focus away from what matters – creating a Tolt Solutions that works for everyone. Supervisors will try to cause us so much stress and confusion that we give up on what we believe in. But time and time again, IBEW workers have shown that when we stand together in unity, management will hear us.

In every union election, companies use tricks to discourage workers from joining together for a voice at work. These tricks defeat the workers’ efforts and allow the company to maintain ultimate control over wages, benefits, and working conditions. It is important to know how to recognize anti-union tricks. Otherwise you and your coworkers may be misled by the company’s lies and false promises.

• Trick #1. Management will ask you for a second chance, and promises it will change for the better.


• Trick #2. Management will mischaracterize what union authorization cards are used for as a way to scare you away from signing one.


• Trick #3. Management will claim that unions are bad for business, and therefore bad for you.


• Trick #4. Management will make statements to discredit the union and its leadership.


• Trick #5. Management will attempt to discourage workers from organizing by claiming they won’t sign a contract with the union.


• Trick #6. Management will ignore the fact that its employees are the ones forming the union, and refer to it as a third-party of outsiders.


• Trick #7. Management will attempt to create fear and doubt by telling employees they may end up making less than they do now.


• Trick #8. Management will make promises to improve a wide range of issues from promotions to wage & benefits increases and a new open-door policy.


• Trick #9. Management will tell you that the union is making you promises that it can’t deliver.


• Trick #10. Management will instill fear by claiming the union will force employees to go on strike.


• Trick #11. Management will instill fear and uncertainty with tales of high union dues and paying fines.


• Trick #12. Management will form a committee of employees opposed to forming a union.