Jon Hyman is a nationally recognized employment and labor lawyer with a large following on social media. He often discusses labor unions and has an interesting perspective. Hyman says he wants people to understand that being anti-union and pro-management does not mean one is therefore anti-labor.
While Hyman doubts the effectiveness of unions because he says they often cannot deliver on the promises they make, he wants employees to be treated with dignity and respect by their employers. In his conversations, he stresses the point that employers who wait until unions form to respond to their employees’ concerns are committing a form of negligence.
Recently, Hyman spoke with HR Exchange Network about how to manage possible unionization at an organization. Discover his thoughts and advice for HR leaders, whose employers may be wondering about these issues:
HREN: Why are labor unions having a moment again? What has changed?
JH: There are two main issues at play here. I think the pandemic is one, and many issues that labor organizers typically talk to employees about were in the spotlight because of COVID. Pointing out OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) complaints is an old-school organizing tactic. Safety is always a hot button issue for unions, and the pandemic played right into that. Employees were feeling through the pandemic that they were out on the front line, while employers were doing what they...
Civil society, for Locke, begins with a surrender. In the state of nature, anyone may punish a wrong done to the community. In society, that power passes to a common authority, and only the sovere...