Bob Funk, Founder of LaborLab, joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast to discuss the work his organization does to educate and inform unions on union-busting activities by corporations. Funk also discussed LaborLab’s banner year in 2023 and some of the 2024 anti-union trends.
LaborLab is the only non-profit watchdog organization that tracks and investigates corporate spending on union-busting. As Funk points out, the workplace is protected by the National Labor Relations Act, and workers should be allowed to seek union representation without their employers' prevention. Funk and LaborLab inform and educate the public and Local unions on anti-union campaigns in their communities. The hope would be to fight against the campaigns that seek to infringe on employee rights and deter corporations from anti-union efforts. The data for the reports come from daily federal filings from employers that have paid these anti-union corporations.
Last year was a banner year for the LaborLab team, Funk said. In 2023, they improved compliance with the law that allowed them to distribute important information to workers hoping to organize with unions. They engaged in over 250 campaigns around the country and now have over 100 Local unions within their coalition. With nearly half of Americans wanting to join a union, but low union density, Funk’s work seeks to educate organizers and the public on the potential attacks on their rights.
So far, in 2024, there has been an increase in the number of anti-union campaigns by employers. Funk outlined some possible reasons for this increase and explained how unions can fight back. He also discussed several legal routes employers took to delay and intimidate workers. Through their communication with over 20 International Unions and several more Locals in America, they established a plan to organize and distribute the information LaborLab finds on anti-union campaigns.
For more about the work by LaborLab, please listen to the show above.
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