Details

[Ununstrng]

As workers get closer to creating a union at their workplace, it’s not unusual to hear your employer make promises or even make threats to try to stop unionizing. Some of the things they say are easy to see through, some of the things they may say are actually illegal.

Please check the NLRB website to understand your legal rights to organize a union.

Here’s a list of things commonly heard by scared employers:

Threats:

“They’ll make you go on strike”

“unions make empty promises they can’t fulfill.”

“unions are obsolete these days”

“this will make it an us versus them”

“The union is a third party”

“A contract could take years to get”

“This could affect your retirement.”

“This could hurt your career”

“Unions will spend your dues on politics”

“You won’t be able to talk to your management anymore”

“There will be no more raises during negotiations.”

“The company might not even sign.”

“A union isn’t in your best interest.”

“Dues are expensive.”

“We may have to close if you unionize.”

“Unions only want you to join so you’ll pay dues.”

“Unions give you less flexibility.”

(Please talk to a steward, organizer or a local to find out the truth about these statements).

Promises:

“Our company is different.”

“We’re not anti-union, but…”

“Give us a chance to fix things.”

“We’re a family here and a union would get in the way of that.”

“We have an open door policy.”

“We’re listening.”

(Why does it take the threat of organizing for a company to start wanting to make promises?)

[Mailrunner]

[b]I also noticed drivers think you have dues right from the get go and don't realize it's not there after the contracts are fully in place till dues begin.[b]

[Ununstrng]

You're right. Most of the union busting "threats" that are made, can be written off if true info is collected.
Union dues do NOT go into effect until the workers have voted on a contract that benefits them. And in many locals, (check with an organizer or your local), there is no initiation fee.
The dues are only paid once a month (but can be split into one-four payments, depending on your contract). The dues are usually two times to two and a half times your hourly salary.
So, if you make $20/hour, the dues would be (20 x 2 = 40/month -or- 20 x 2.5 = 50/month). This should be well-worth the fee if you've negotiated a contract that raises up your standard of living.