2 weeks ago
US employers walk much than $1.5bn a twelvemonth connected labour national guidance efforts, according to a report published connected Wednesday by nan Economic Policy Institute (EPI).
Employers spent institution money hiring consultants and rule firms specializing successful national avoidance and connected ineligible counsel, representation, and litigation services during national elections and organizing campaigns.
US employers walk $442m connected union-avoidance consultants annually, according to an estimate by nan EPI. Amazon unsocial spent $26.6m successful 2025 connected union-avoidance consultants, based connected filings pinch nan US Department of Labor.
An Amazon spokesperson blamed outer groups for hiring union-avoidance consultants. “It’s important that our teammates and partners understand nan truth, truthful we’ve continued to activity pinch experts successful nan section who are capable to stock nonsubjective facts astir what it really intends to person an outer statement return their voice,” they said successful an email.
“This is millions aliases moreover billions of dollars that’s not going towards workers and investing into their workplace,” said Margaret Poydock, a co-author of nan study and a elder argumentation expert astatine nan EPI.
Poydock attributed nan diminution of unionization rank and density complete nan past respective decades, successful part, to nan domiciled of these union-avoidance rule firms and consultants. Union density successful nan US is now astatine 10%, compared pinch 20.3% successful 1983.
Despite this decline, Gallup polls study nearly 70% of Americans o.k. of labour unions.
The study noted that 1 of nan rule firms, Littler Mendelson, which has represented Amazon, Starbucks and Delta Air Lines successful national campaigns, has its ain Workplace Policy Institute.
Through nan institute, nan rule patient has tracked and opposed authorities aimed astatine expanding workers’ rights, specified arsenic opposing AB5 successful California, a measure that sought to combat worker misclassification, and supporting Prop 22, which allowed ride-share apps and others to proceed classifying drivers arsenic independent contractors, not employees.
“These rule firms and consultants are fundamentally exploiting loopholes and weaknesses successful our national labour rule and reporting requirements for these persuaders reports, but contempt that, workers are still organizing, they are still winning elections and reaching first contracts,” said Poydock. “They’re trying to erode worker rights, not conscionable for national workers aliases workers trying to shape unions, but workers astatine large.”
Teke Wiggin, a co-author of nan study and strategical coordinator astatine nan non-profit LaborLab, emphasized US employers already leverage important powerfulness complete workers and nan usage of union-avoidance consultants and rule firms further magnifies that imbalance.
A previous report by nan EPI recovered that US employers are charged pinch violating labour rule successful 41.5% of each national elections. Through hold strategies and appeals, it takes an average of 465 days for workers to scope a first national contract, and it tin beryllium overmuch longer successful galore cases, specified arsenic astatine Starbucks, wherever workers person yet to scope a first statement since nan first US store won a national predetermination successful 2021.
“Employers ever person nan prime to voluntarily admit a national aliases work together to a neutrality agreement,” said Wiggin. “If they don’t, that’s a prime to effort to crook nan will of workers who are seeking to workout their authorities to free association, and that’s obscene and violative to antiauthoritarian values and nan correct to free association.”
