Problem:
You are the top HR Manager for a company with 1500 employees. Your top management wants to stay union free. You have heard from a couple reliable sources that union organizing cards are being circulated among employees. Your boss is heading out the door and will be out for 6 weeks or more because of major surgery. He left you in charge of all HRM decisions. Your company has never faced a union organizing drive before and it is up to you to see that legitimate (founded) unfair labor charges are not filed against you. You also want to do all you can to persuade employees not to vote pro-union. Discuss how you will proceed. [Hiring a consultant is not an option. Your top management trusts you will steer them correctly but they want to keep fully informed.]
You think you know the reason for the union interest. Employees became very disgruntled when the company rolled out its plan to organize employees into teams, change job titles, work assignments and the pay structure. This happened about three months ago. Employees were told by your boss, "this is how it will be."
You already have supervisors asking you "What is the process for an employer to become unionized? How do we manage and supervise when a union organizing drive is going on? What can we say and do?"
A very outspoken supervisor has told you, employees and other supervisors that it is too late for the employer do anything. He says the best we can do is just ignore everything about unions that is going on."
Discuss your plan in detail. Provide sources to help support and validate your recommendations and comments.
Around 600 words, one reference.