Union Free Radio

Union Free Radio

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Union Free Radio episodes

  • Union Free Radio, S.2 Ep. 3: Is Card Check Here? An Interview With LRI's Phil Wilson
    Back-door card check is on its way this year, says Labor Relations Institute's Phil Wilson.
    Last August (2021), the National Labor Relations Board's General Counsel, Jennifer A. Abruzzo, sent a lengthy memo to all NLRB regions seeking cases from its regions to submit specific types of cases to her for advice.

    Among the many types of cases that General Counsel Abruzzo is seeking are cases which would lead to the imposition of what is known as "card check," which would eliminate most secret-ballot elections over the topic of unionization.
    "Cases in which an employer refuses to recognize and bargain with a union where the union presents evidence of a card majority, but where the employer is unable to establish a good faith doubt as to majority status; specifically, where the employer refusing to recognize has either engaged in unfair labor practices or where the employer is unable to explain its reason for doubting majority status in rejecting the union’s demand. See Joy Silk Mills, Inc., 85 NLRB 1263 (1949)."
    [See below under: Employer duty to recognize and/or bargain, on page 7.]

    In this episode of Union Free Radio, host Peter List speaks with Phil Wilson of the Labor Relations Institute (LRI) about card check and a number of other labor relations issues employers are facing under the Biden NLRB.

    Articles and Resources Mentioned On This Episode
    • NLRB GC - Mandatory Submissions To Advice | PDF
  • Joy Silk Mills v. National Labor Rel. Board, 185 F.2d 732
  • Why Labor Law Needs "Joy Silk" Bargaining Orders
  • The Scandalous Story Of How "Joy Silk" Disappeared From Labor Law
  • An Update on Labor Law Lite - by Brandon Magner
    • 57 min
  • Union Free Radio, Ep. 1: Five Reasons People Hate The PRO Act
    The PRO Act being pushed by unions and their allies is a dangerously bad bill that threatens jobs, companies and America’s Free Enterprise system. Here’s why:
    Unions and their Democratic Party allies–like the Democratic Socialists of America–are pushing Congress to enact the so-called “Protecting the Right to Organize Act,” which President Biden has vowed to sign.
    The bill is a massive rewrite of U.S. labor and employment laws that threatens jobs and job creators, as well as the American Free Enterprise system.
    In this episode of Union Free Radio, LaborUnionReport.com editor Peter List explains the top five reasons why the PRO Act is so bad.
    Articles cited in this episode:
    FACTS ABOUT THE SO-CALLED “PRO” ACT – PROActFacts.org
    61% of Small Businesses Say PRO Act Will Destroy Their Business – Small Business Trends
    It’s MAYDAY for the PRO Act!!, Democratic Socialists of America, Facebook Meet
    PRO Act legislation threatens franchise small businesses
    PRO Act for a Green New Deal – Workers and the World Unite
    Sydney Ghazarian – KeyWiki
    Counting the number of businesses in the United States
    27 min
  • Union Free Radio, S2, Ep. 2: Associated Builders & Contractors’ Ben Brubeck Talks About Vax Mandates, Build Back Better, PLAs & Much More
    A wide-ranging discussion with Ben Brubeck of the Associated Builders & Contractors (ABC), one of the largest trade associations for merit-shop construction contractors and their employees.

    The Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) is a national construction industry trade association representing more than 21,000 members, mostly small union-free contractors and their employees, with 69 chapters nationwide.

    In this hour-long, wide-ranging discussion, Ben Brubeck, ABC's Vice President of Regulatory, Labor and State affairs, discusses ABC's position on a host of topics, such as vaccine mandates, infrastructure, Build Back Better, the Davis-Bacon Act, Project Labor Agreements, apprenticeship programs and more.

    Click here for prior episodes of Union Free Radio.
    1 hr 1 min
  • Union Free Radio, S2, E1: With “Micro Units,” Coming, the NLRB Is About To Make HR’s Job Much Harder (Again)
    The NLRB is going to re-institute "Micro Units." Here's what you need to know...
    Labor law in the United States (under the National Labor Relations Board) swings like a pendulum whenever the political party controlling the White House changes.

    With the PRO Act stalled in Congress and President Biden vowing to be "the most pro-union President in American history," his appointees at the National Labor Relations Board are working full time to fulfill his vow, signaling a host of changes that will make it more difficult for employers and their employees to remain union-free.

    One such change is the likely return to "micro units".

    In this episode of Union Free Radio, host Peter List provides the definition to such labor relations concepts as "bargaining units," "community of interest," as well as the background to "micro units" and why they are bad for both employers and unions.

    Articles and resources cited in this episode:
    • The Relevance of Coherence | Joseph Raz
    • NLRB Invites Briefs Regarding Appropriate Bargaining Units | Dec. 7, 2021
    • Definition: Bargaining unit | Legal Information Institute
    • Definition: Community of Interest Law and Legal Definition | USLegal.com
    • 29 CFR § 103.30 - Appropriate bargaining units in the health care industry. | Legal Information Institute
    • What's Appropriate: The NLRB Overturns Specialty Healthcare | Littler Mendelson P.C.
    • National Labor Relations Board to decide whether labor organizers can use ‘micro union’ targets [2011]
    • Divide, Conquer & Destroy: NLRB Region Unleashes Micro-Unit On Retailer [2012]
    • Bergdorf Goodman Sales Associates From Separate Shoe Departments Lacked Community of Interest: NLRB | Practical Law
    • Employer business establishments in the U.S. 2019, by employment size | Statista
    • More Starbucks stores file for unionization over the past two weeks
      • 33 min
    • Union Free Radio, Ep. 17: What The Kellogg Strikers Actually Lost
      Unions and their allies are calling the Kellogg strike a "win." But, is it?
      The 11-week Kellogg strike is over. However, while the union movement is calling it a "win," some strikers and some reporters are questioning whether the strike was, in fact, a "win" or a failure.

      In this last episode of Union Free Radio for 2021, host Peter List walks listeners through the main-reported issues of the strike, as well as how much strikers potentially lost.

      Articles and resources cited in this episode:
    • Kellogg strike ends as members ratify new contract | | wnem.com
    • Kellogg’s Strike Ends: BCTGM Members Ratify New Contract
    • Kellogg's Threatened To Replace Strikers. That Doesn't Mean It Will Work. | HuffPost Impact
    • Details of Kellogg Final Offer [in PDF]
    • Statement by President Joe Biden On Kellogg Collective Bargaining Negotiations | The White House
    • Some Battle Creek Kellogg workers feel betrayed by new union deal
    • Voting closes on concessions contract at Kellogg’s, while union uses divide-and-conquer tactics to break strike - World Socialist Web Site
    • Labor Board v. Mackay Radio & Telegraph Co. :: 304 U.S. 333 (1938) | Justia US Supreme Court Center
    • ‘Death of 1,000 cuts’: Kellogg’s workers on why they’re striking | Business | The Guardian
    • Kellogg to permanently replace striking workers as union rejects new contract | Financial Post
    • BCTGM Kellogg’s Members Reject Tentative Agreement; Strike Continues
    • Employees reject tentative agreement; Kellogg focuses on continuing operations - Dec 7, 2021
    • Big raises in store for U.S. workers in 2022, report says - The Washington Post
    • Kellogg's workers reject deal; strike continues for now
    • Twinkies Maker Will Close After Strike - ABC News
    • Have Twinkies Killed the Union Movement?
    • 'Financially, this is a really scary moment': Kellogg employees enter
      • 28 min
    • Union Free Radio, Ep. 16: A Step-By-Step On How Workers Can Decertify An Unwanted Union

      Despite the fact that over 90% of employees in unions today never voted to unionize, unions spend millions of dollars bankrolling union organizers and politicians to put more people into unions.


      However, there are very few resources for employees to learn how to kick an unwanted union out of their workplace---and employers are legally forbidden to help them.


      In this episode of Union Free Radio, in addition to providing listeners a step-by-step "how-to" guide to decertify unions, host Peter List walks listeners through the decertification process and some of the legal terminology---from Election Bars and Contract Bars to Blocking Charges---that is important for employees to understand if they are interested in decertification.

      "If you say you believe in the Freedom of Association or the right to join a particular organization (like a group, a social club, a political party, or a union), you’ve also got to believe in its concomitant, which is the Freedom to Disassociate from that organization." List states. "If you don’t, you’re nothing more than a hypocrite."


      Articles and resources cited in this episode: For other episodes of Union Free Radio, click here.

      WARNING: This is for employees only. This is NOT for management
      • Unelected Representatives: 94 percent of Union Members Never Voted for a Union
      • Mountaire employees ask for vote to disband union at Delaware plant
      • ExxonMobil shares details about coming union vote
      • How can I resign my union membership? - National Right to Work Foundation
      • NLRB's Basic Guide To The National Labor Relations Act
      • KickMyUnionOut.com | Is the Timing Right?
      • KickMyUnionOut.com | Steps To Decertifying A Union
      • Sample Decertification Form
        • 32 min
      • Union Free Radio, Ep. 15: The Hidden Origins Of The Fight For $15 Movement & Its Impact

        Although many people are aware of the "Fight for $15" campaign, most probably do not know that it was never intended to be about merely raising the minimum wage.

        The genesis of the entire campaign was designed in 2009 by the SEIU---or Service Employees International Union---as a way to unionize millions of the nation's fast-food workers.
        In fact, the actual $15 per hour figure was arbitrarily picked---almost as an afterthought---only two months before the first astroturf protest in 2012.
        In this episode of Union Free Radio, host Peter List explains the history of the SEIU's Fight for $15 campaign, as well as its aftermath and how it is affecting the economy following the 2020 crash.
        Articles and resources cited in this episode:

        • LaborPains.org | Report Gives Union Members Insight Into 20 Years of Labor Finances
        • Fast Food Restaurants in the US - Employment Statistics | IBISWorld
        • SEIU's New Burger Queen? Internal Documents Expose Plan to Unionize Fast-Food Industry
        • SEIU Fast Food Organizing Plan - 2009 | PDF
        • Opinion: Fast-food worker strikes aren’t what they appear to be - MarketWatch
        • Why $15 Minimum Wage is a Bad Idea | American Enterprise Institute
        • Media Advisory: Who’s Behind the Curtain of the Fast Food “Strikes”? - Employment Policies Institute
        • $15 an Hour Minimum Wage Is Norm Due to Market Forces, Not Mandates - Bloomberg
        • Why the US has a record 10.9 million job openings | Quartz
        • Why America has 8.4 million unemployed when there are 10 million job openings | The Washington Post
        • $15 an Hour Minimum Wage Is Norm Due to Market Forces, Not Mandates - Bloomberg
        • Wage Push Inflation | Investopedia
        • ‘Build Back Better’ agenda will ensure strong, stable recovery in coming years | Economic Policy Institute
        • Savings surge during the pandemic - Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City
        • Fast-food wages climbed 10% in la
          • 36 min
        • Union Free Radio, Ep. 14: When Unions Lie, Employee Free Choice Dies
          Unions are legally allowed to lie to workers when unionizing them. Why?
          According to National Labor Relations Board doctrine, "Employees are generally able to understand that a union cannot obtain benefits automatically by winning an election but must seek to achieve them through collective bargaining."

          In this episode of Union Free Radio, host Peter List explores the legal background of unions deceiving workers, as well as ponders the question: Instead of Congress and the NLRB looking at ways to make it easier for unions to unionize workers through deception, shouldn't Congress should really be considering a bill to require unions to be more honest with workers?

          There is a Truth in Lending Act; there are all kinds of consumer protection laws…

          Why not a Truth in Union Organizing Act?

          Articles and resources cited in this episode:
          • PROMISES, PROMISES: Rethinking the NLRB's Distinction Between Employer and Union Promises During Representation Campaigns (in PDF)
          • AFL-CIO's New President Breaks With Trumka, Supports Secret Ballot in Union Elections

            • For other episodes of Union Free Radio, click here.
            18 min
          • Union Free Radio, Ep 13: SSDD—The AFL-CIO’s New President, Renaming the PRO Act & The Truth About CEO Pay

            Last week, the nation's union bosses selected a new AFL-CIO president. For those who were hoping for a union movement that is less reliant on politics, it doesn’t appear that’s going to be happening anytime soon

            Last Friday, the AFL-CIO Executive Council---the 'board of directors' for the nation's largest union federation---selected Secretary-Treasurer Elizabeth Shuler to replace Richard Trumka, who died earlier this month from an apparent heart attack.


            By choosing Shuler and, as well based on her first interview, the federation signaled its continuation of focusing on political outcomes, as opposed to 'self reliance.'


            In this episode of Union Free Radio, host Peter List covers Shuler's stated direction for the union federation, as well as covers how AFL-CIO misleads the public about CEO Pay.


            For prior episodes of Union Free Radio, go here.

            Links to articles and sources cited in this podcast:

            • Union Free Radio, Ep. 12: Richard Trumka's Successor & Vaccine Mandates

          • Liz Shuler elected as AFL-CIO’s first woman president - The Washington Post

          • AFL-CIO’s Shuler Says Priority Is Overhaul of U.S. Labor Laws - Bloomberg

          • As Biden Faces a Political Crisis, His Party Looks On in Alarm - The New York Times

          • FACT: Top AFL-CIO Union Fat Cats Rake In More Than Average CEOs In U.S.

            • 17 min
          • Union Free Radio, Ep. 12: Richard Trumka’s Successor & Vaccine Mandates
            The unexpected death of AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka comes at an interesting time for unions, as they stand at a 'crossroads' and grapple with vaccine mandates in the American workplace.
            AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka died suddenly last Thursday.

            Rather than focus on Richard Trumka's long history as a union leader, in this episode of Union Free Radio, host Peter List discusses who might replace Trumka and the "crossroads" the union movement now finds itself.


            Additionally, List covers the topic of mandatory vaccines policies (aka Get Jabbed or Get Fired)---which was one of Trumka's last public statements on the labor federation's position---and the ramifications of unions acquiescing to mandatory vaccine policies.

            For prior episodes of Union Free Radio, go here.
            Links to articles and sources cited in this podcast:
            • New York Times | Richard Trumka, A.F.L.-C.I.O. Chief, Dies at 72
          • AFL-CIO | Trumka: Joe Biden’s Firewall Was Union Made
          • Washington Post | President Biden nominates Rich Trumka Jr. to CPSC seat
          • NPR | How The Labor Movement Did A 180 On Immigration
          • BLET | Unions criticize AFL-CIO leadership
          • LaborUnionReport.com | Communist Party USA Chair: "...we are part of building labor's independent structures."
          • Jacobin | Socialists and Organized Labor Are Uniting to Change Pro-Boss Labor Laws
          • Bloomberg | AFL-CIO Head Trumka’s Death Leaves Void Atop U.S. Labor Movement
          • Watch Union Members March On The 'Anti-Union' AFL-CIO
          • Bizarre Dispute Over Expense Account Sparks Power Struggle In the Top Ranks of the AFL-CIO
          • Executive Council Members | AFL-CIO
          • Politico | Where does the AFL-CIO go from here?
          • C-SPAN | Richard Trumka Vaccine Mandates
          • Bloomberg Law | Unions Split Over Vaccine Mandates as Variant Threatens Workers
            • More here.
            29 min

          About Union Free Radio

          From the publisher's feed

          A podcast covering news and views about today’s labor unions in the United States, labor union politics, and best practices to help keep your workplace union free.