It's been over a week and a half since we’ve gone public with our campaign to improve our working conditions at Law360, and a lot has happened in that time. We’ve been made to sit through multiple anti-union meetings with Labor Relations Institute and distracted from our work for hours. It's been frustrating, to say the least, but inspiring to see how strong we have been in the face of the barrage of anti-union propaganda the company has been throwing our way.
Most of us have sat through meetings with one or more of the consultants from Labor Relations Institute. While these meetings have been billed as a way to tell us our rights and to provide necessary information before our union vote, the consultants have included misinformation intended to intimidate us rather than educate.
It’s important to remember that these consultants are paid to deter the newsroom from unionizing. You can check out their website if you’d like more information on their track record: lrionline.com.
Katie, Austin and Jeff have adjusted their tone and message from meeting to meeting, trying out new tactics with different groups based on how we’ve responded, to determine the most effective way to undermine our organizing drive.
When employees challenged their misinformation and scare tactics they were at times met with hostility and accusations that those employees were on “the payroll” of the union. We find this behavior in our workplace disrespectful, yet unsurprising.
After concerns were voiced to management, they switched their tactics and took a softer tone, saying that they were simply offering management’s perspective. At several points, they went so far as to say that they believed we were “likely to vote for the union.”
In recent days, we've also finally caught the attention of LexisNexis, who have sent executive Sean Fitzpatrick who has attempted to sweet-talk us from collectively addressing our concerns.
We're less than one week out from the election, so we can take heart that these meetings will stop on Monday under U.S. labor law.
These consultants are not part of Law360. Their comments have shown they do not know us or our specific employment circumstances, nor do they seem to know The NewsGuild or its bargained contracts.
We've come this far and we've already managed to create a closer community at Law360 through this organizing effort. So let's stay strong through the final stretch.