153 Pages, spiral bound
A dramatic surge in recent media coverage of persuader activity has confirmed what thousands of workers and union organizers already know—that persuader activity is under-reported, poorly monitored and often misunderstood. A story about persuader activity among Amazon drivers by Jules Roscoe in Vice takes a deeper dive into the $14.2 million dollars spent by Amazon in 2022 for persuader activity, a story that Huffington Post reporter David Jamieson broke earlier this year.
Another story in the Orlando Weekly, by reporter McKenna Schueler details the persuader reporting tardiness of one firm, The Labor Pros. And a five-part series on persuaders by Huffington Post reporter David Jamieson is perhaps the most comprehensive look at the hidden world of persuader consultants, including some operating under false identities. In case you missed it, here is a link to the “landing page” of these five remarkable stories https://www.huffpost.com/entry/inside-labor-union-busting-american-industry_n_64b7f7fde4b0dcb4cab6a0cc.
Since the publication of the first edition of Pay No Attention to that Man Behind the Curtain: Getting Information About “Persuader” Consultants and the Employers Who Hire Them there has been a dramatic rise in media coverage of this often-hidden world. The Office of Labor-Management Standards (OLMS) of the U.S. Department of Labor has stepped up enforcement and outreach to employers. They have also published a revised LM-10 form which will require self-identification of Federal contractors and subcontractors to help determine whether Federal funds are being used for persuader activity, in violation of President Obama’s Executive Order 13494 and Federal Acquisition rule 35-205-21.
OLMS has activated a tip line for complaints about persuader reporting; there has been a surge of complaints with the majority of these resulting in amended reports being filed by employers and persuaders. OLMS has been conducting training and outreach to persuaders and employers about their reporting obligations. But much more needs to be done.
The brand-new, second edition of Pay No Attention to that Man Behind the Curtain: Getting Information About “Persuader” Consultants and the Employers Who Hire Them captures the work being done by union researchers, organizers, journalists, and others since the first edition was published in 2022, as well as the work being done by OLMS. Filing and other data are updated, new research techniques are documented, and more examples provided along with a new spreadsheet template for crossmatching LM-10, -20 and -21 data with NLRB case activity docket information. Finally, a new chapter on employer unfair labor practice expenditure reporting has been added, with tips on how to gather the necessary documentation, and how both OLMS and the National Labor Relations Board can work together to improve reporting and disclosure of employer ULP expenditures.
For those ordering this second edition a copy of this cross-match spreadsheet template will be emailed to them upon checkout.