Lessons from the union busting at No Evil Foods

Facing south (6/3/21):

“About a month after joining the No Evil Foods crew, I learned of a union organizing drive at the plant with the United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW). I liked my job, but there were issues I knew a union could fix. I also wanted what was great about the job to be kept that way through an actual contract. But above all, I knew that a union could provide the job security denied to millions of workers like me living in so-called "right-to-work" states, where someone employed without a union contract can be fired for almost any reason, or even no reason at all. So I wasted no time scribbling my signature on a union card.

I was not prepared for what came next. None of us were — and that was our first mistake. Because when No Evil Foods learned their production workers were looking into unionization, the company didn't do anything out of the ordinary. In fact, their response was a carbon-copy, tried-and-true set of tactics that have been used against workers for decades, strategies that have been perfected by "management consultants" or "union avoidance consultants" — in other words, union busters.

The union busting that ensued last year at No Evil Foods offers a textbook example of how companies respond when workers attempt to unionize. That means it also provides a useful case study for workers to learn from.

I hope my story will help others to be better prepared than we were.”