Jason Greer expert in employee, industrial & labor relations discusses how unions will gain numbers by using ambush elections. Greer Consulting 314-643-NLRB (6572). br br My name is Jason Greer, Labor Relations and Employee Relations Expert and Former Board Agent with the National Labor Relations Board. br br The National Labor Relations Board has decided that labor unions deserve the right to increase their numbers. How do they plan to do this? By creating what has come to be known as the “quicky elections” or “ambush elections” whereby the NLRB wants to reduce the secret ballot process from the standard 45 days to 10 days. br br If you’re an employer here’s what this means to you…a union organizer or official will file a request for certification petition with the NLRB to represent your employees. You will officially have 10 days…let me say this again…10 days to attempt to find a labor attorney to represent you, hire a labor relations consultant to manage your campaign, train your managers on what to do and not do during a union campaign, deal with the National Labor Relations Board which is a governmental agency, educate your employees about possible unionization, discover what the issues are related to their reasons for organizing a union in the first place, deal with the union organizing outside of your business and then prepare to conduct a secret ballot election within your place of business. Do you really think you can accomplish all of this in 10 days? The answer is “No”. It’s impossible. br br The sad reality for employers is this…prior to filing a petition with the NLRB the average union organizers has likely been working anywhere from 6 months to 1 year on organizing and persuading your employees to become a part of the union. By the time they walk into the NLRB with that petition it’s safe to assume that they know everything they need to know about your employees. While you have likely been relying on engagement scores from surveys to determine how satisfied your employees are, the union has met with them face-to-face, listened to their concerns, probably bought them meals. I’ve even seen cases where the union paid an employees rent in order to convince her to join the union! br br Please don’t sit back and assume that this measure by the NLRB is not going to pass. Unions, their attorneys and lobbyist are working overtime to make sure this ambush election rule happens sooner rather than later. In the mean time it is critically important that you stay engaged with your employees. Get to know them at a heart level not because you want to keep the union out, rather because it is just the right thing to do.