The Burke Group

The Burke Group (TBG Labor for short) is a Malibu based American management consultancy, established in 1982. [This should not be confused with the Canadian temporary worker and human resources recruitment agency by the same name, est. 1979. For the Canadian firm, see The Burke Group's [http://www.theburkegroup.com/ website] .] It is the largest management consultancy for "union avoidance and preventative industrial labor relations." [The Burke Group Labor Relations Consultation to Management [http://www.tbglabor.com/ website] ] TBG offers advice to employers and services on keeping workplaces "union free", [ [http://www.tbglabor.com/services.aspx?cid=5 TBG Labor] website, outlining its union free strategies] also known as the practice of union busting.

The CEO and President of TBG is David J. Burke. He is a resident of Agoura Hills, California and a regular donor to the US Republican party. [see, the "Huffington Post" 'Fundrace 2008' [http://fundrace.huffingtonpost.com/neighbors.php?type=name&lname=Burke&fname=David website] ; see CampaignMoney.com's search for David Burke, [http://www.campaignmoney.com/political/contributions/david-burke.asp?cycle=04 for 2004] and [http://www.campaignmoney.com/political/contributions/david-burke.asp?cycle=06 2006] ]

Business

TBG Labor assists employers in making sure that a trade union has serious difficulty in becoming recognised in workplaces, so that collective bargaining cannot take place. According to its website, employees considering a union,

"will demonstrate their conviction to remain union free by exercising their right to vote and by making an "informed" decision. TBG possesses the professional expertise at all levels of a union's organizing efforts (pre-petition, counter campaigning, and post-election) that guarantees that the voting unit will be "informed". [see, TBG Labor's FAQ on union avoidance, [http://www.tbglabor.com/about/belief.aspx] ]

TBG recommends that employers use their management staff to meet workers individually in an attempt to strongly persuade them of the perceived disadvantages of voting to be a part of a union. This may include arguing that a union will decrease pay, that workers could end up on strikes all the time, and that unions would harass them at their homes. [Logan, "U.S. Anti-Union Consultants: A Threat to the Rights of British Workers" (2008) pp.6]

TBG Labor also operates a subsidiary called "Labor Information Services" specialising in persuading employees to not join a union. [See the Labor Information Services [http://www.laborinformationservices.com/ website] ] According to their webpage, the LIS is necessary because the "recent influx of non English speaking workers (predominantly Hispanic workers) throughout U.S. industries has made communications (third party persuading) to a company’s workforce a major challenge." Their consultants talk can talk to workers in "English, Spanish, Tagalong ("sic"), French, Portuguese, Vietnamese as well as several dialects of Chinese."

TBG has a strong privacy policy for employers to consult in confidence. [see, TBG Labor's privacy policy [http://www.tbglabor.com/privacy.aspx webpage] ]

Operations

* Eaton Corporation, July 2000, The union withdrew its bid for recognition.

* Honeywell, 12 October 2001 CAC Ballot, Employees voted 64 to 26 against union recognition.

* Amazon, 12 Sept 2001 ACAS voluntary petition, Employees voted 188 to 35 against union recognition.

* G.E. Calidonia, 29 May 2002, CAC Ballot, Employees voted 449 to 223 against union recognition.
* Silberline 12 Nov 2002, ACAS, Employees voted 42 to 27 against union recognition.

*Chinese Daily News, March 2001, In September 2005, Employees voted 92-52 against union recognition.

*Calor Gas, 18 Feb 2003, ACAS, Employees voted 43 to 14 against union recognition.

*Virgin Air, 21 May 2003, ACAS Employees voted 450 to 99 against union recognition.

*T-mobile, May 2003, ACAS, TBG sent 7 minute videos to 550 employees homes to convince them to not vote for recognition of the Communication Workers Union. T-Mobile employees on 8 May 2003 voted 351 to 170 against union recognition. [BBC News, [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/2956848.stm "Unions attack mobile phone firm"] , June 2, 2003]

*FlyBe, 2006, 400 cabin crew tried to join the union Unite. Two (2) TBG consultants worked for just over 4 weeks. There was no anti-union campaign, and no videos were produced or distributed. FlyBe hired TBG to secure a ballot for good industrial relations: this was accomplished and TBG's services ended. Employees voted 94% (89% turnout) in favour of union recognition.

*Cable & Wireless, August 2007, employed TBG when the Communication Workers Union sought recognition 330 at the Central Arbitration Committee. [ [http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/cws-union-busters-spark-fury-754807.html "C&W's 'union busters' spark fury"] , "The Independent", 19 August 2007] In June 2008 359 ballots were issued and 331 returned representing a 92% vote turnout whereby the Cable and Wireless employees voted 254 to 77 against union recognition. [http://www.personneltoday.com/articles/2008/06/24/46442/cwu-fails-to-win-recognition-bid-at-cable-wireless.html "CWU Fails to Win Recognition bid at Cable & Wireless"] ]

*Kettle Chips, With advice from TBG the company persuaded the Central Arbitration Committee to include office workers as part of a larger bargaining unit. TBG argued to workers that there would be a greater threat of strike if the union won. Subsequently 2 Facebook campaigns were launched to boycott Kettle Chips for its involvement with TBG. [see, [http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=12095985491 Boycott Kettle Chips: the anti-Trade Union snack] and [http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=5233937858 boycott kettle crisps for attacks on workers] on Facebook] Kettle then hired PR firm Hill and Knowlton to improve their image. [David Hencke, [http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/david_hencke/2007/10/has_kettle_had_its_chips.html 'Has Kettle had its chips?'] , "The Guardian" ] October 2007, Kettle Chips workers voted against union recognition 206 to 93 [http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2007/oct/13/uk.tradeunions "Workers at Kettle Foods vote against joining union"] ] .

ee also

*Employee Free Choice Act, proposed American legislation on freedom to form unions
*Freedom of association
*Labour law
*Employment Relations Act 1999
*Landrum Griffith Act (Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act)
*National Labor Relations Act
*Taft-Hartley Act
*Railway Labor Act

Notes

References

* John Logan, [http://www.tuc.org.uk/extras/loganreport.pdf "U.S. Anti-Union Consultants: A Threat to the Rights of British Workers"] , report for the Trades Union Congress on union busting (2008)

External links

;Union avoidance/busting firms
* [http://www.tbglabor.com/ The Burke Group's] "labor relations and consultant to management" website
* [http://www.laborinformationservices.com/ Labor Information Services]
*PTI Labor Research [http://www.ptilaborresearch.com/ website]

;News reports involving TBG Labor
*Stephen Overell, [http://search.ft.com/ftArticle?queryText=consultants+do+battle+with+the+brotherhoods+by+Stephen+Overell+&y=5&aje=true&x=13&id=040425003005&ct=0&nclick_check=1 'Consultants do battle with the brotherhoods'] , "Financial Times", Monday April 26, 2004
*Personnel Today article, [http://www.personneltoday.com/articles/2008/02/19/44471/manufacturers-body-eef-denies-use-of-union-busting-consultants-in-uk.html "Manufacturers' body EEF denies use of 'union-busting' consultants in UK"] (19.2.2008)
* Vince Beiser, [http://www.huffingtonpost.com/vince-beiser/legal-unionbusters_b_42065.html "Legal Unionbusters"] , February 25, 2007
*Andrew Taylor, [http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/5547ad92-d8d5-11dc-8b22-0000779fd2ac.html "TUC acts to thwart US ‘union busters’"] , "Financial Times", February 12, 2008
*David Hencke, [http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2007/oct/13/uk.tradeunions 'Workers at Kettle Foods Vote Against Joining Union'] "The Guardian", 13 October 2007
* Laura Smith, [http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2008/feb/12/tradeunions "Union-busting tactics on the increase, warns TUC"] , "The Guardian", 12 February 2008
* Jon Henley and Ed Pilkington, [http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2008/feb/26/tradeunions.workandcareers 'Divide and Rule'] , "The Guardian", Tuesday February 26 2008
* Nick Kochan, [http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2008/apr/06/tradeunions 'Alarm over tactics of 'union-busting' firm'] , "The Observer", Sunday April 6 2008
*Steve Farrar, [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/career_and_jobs/article3866620.ece 'Americans Move in to stop unions'] , "The Times", Sunday May 4 2008
*Mike Berry, [http://www.personneltoday.com/articles/2008/06/24/46442/cwu-fails-to-win-recognition-bid-at-cable-wireless.html "CWU Fails to Win Recognition Bid at Cable and Wireless:] Personnel Today, 24 June 2008
*CWU Snubbed at Cable & Wireless, [http://www.hellmail.co.uk/postalnews/templates/postal_industry_news.asp?articleid=660&zoneid=3 'The Communication Workers Union (CWU) has been snubbed by employees at Cable & Wireless'] 25 June 2008
*CAC Amends its Judgment About The Burke Group [Category:Labour law] , London School of Economics Daily Headlines 25/07/08 IT News, Italy [http://www.itnews.it/news/2008/0725011801478/cac-amends-its-judgement-about-the-burke-group.html]
*Richard Tyler, [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/main.jhtml?xml=/money/2008/08/04/cncac104.xml "Union-recognition Dispute Ruling Altered after Consultants Complain"] , The Daily Telegraph, Aug. 3, 2008
*Legal Brief Today, [http://www.legalbrief.co.za/article.php?story=20080805082146493 'Court Amends Judgment over Unfair Criticism'] , Aug. 5, 2008