Lies the Boss will tell You

This page is from the Organizing section of the IWW web site.

Here's a checklist of employer behavioral traits which you can expect to witness during union organizing campaigns. These are not the only lies a boss might tell, but they do represent a fair sample. You and your organizing committee must anticipate anti-union lies and should prepare to respond to them. It is even helpful to "role play" or parctice dealing with workers who fear the consequences of these lies (and others).

What Your Employer Will Have Their Management Say About Unions:

The union is a third party, an outsider;
The union will disrupt the happy family environment, we've created here;
All the union wants is your dues money; give us another chance;
We just got our wake-up call from you and we're listening;
The union will make you go out on strike;
You will be fined if you cross a picket line;
The union will ruin this organization and make us go broke;
We'll lose our funding if a union comes in;
Unions are corrupt and undemocratic;
The union only wants to run the employer's organization;
We would increase wages and benefits but now we can't because of the union.

What Employers Will Do:

Hire a union-busting outfit/consultant for $200 per hour;
Give employees wage increases or improve their benefits;
Hold captive audience meetings with employees during work time;
Increase the number of staff meetings and the level of communication;
Be nicer or meaner to workers;
Hold numerous management meetings;
Delay the election process with technicalities to break the union momentum;
Quote union by-laws out of context to distort intent or purpose;
Use press clippings of other unions to convey negative union images;
Convince employees that authorization cards are for other purposes;
Have employees start asking for their cards back;
Create false divisions between workers and blame these on the the union.

What Your Employer Won't Tell You:

with a union employers cannot reduce your wages, health benefits, vacation, sick leave, life insurance, holidays, pensions, or other working conditions without your agreement;
that you've given them every last chance and another one won't make a difference;
that you can't be fined for crossing a picket line (you can be ostracized though);
that workers in a union make sound and rational decisions;
that union delegates or officers cannot "take" you out on strike--strikes only happen when the workers vote to strike;
that union workers do not bargain themselves out of jobs;
that the union is not an outside, third party; but is comprised of you and your fellow workers;
that union workers earn, on average, twice as much in benefits alone as non-union workers;
that without a union you work under "at-will" conditions, with your employer in complete control;
that a union grievance procedure has a neutral arbitrator, not management, as the final step;
that a workplace without a union is undemocratic;
that most workers who are aware of the facts believe unions are necessary and valuable;