I’m asking this sincerely since there seems to be this fear of workplace retaliation that I don’t 100% follow.
Yes, there is a very real risk that employers might try and retaliate in some way or fire you for other “unrelated” reasons. But this is a federally protected activity…If you start documenting any noteworthy interactions at your job from the moment you start mentioning unions and/or record video/audio of yourself at work whenever interacting with others about union-formation or any meetings with your employers then I think any lawyer worth their salt would easily be able to prove that your company was retaliating if they fired you or started treating you dramatically different at work.
I’m saying that it SHOULD be a win-win scenario.
You start talking about unions and no retaliation? Maybe you get a union formed and start improving your workplace for everyone.
You start talking about unions and retaliation? You get a potentially HUGE payout for being illegally targeted for federally-protected behaviors. And there are PLENTY of lawyers who would jump on a case like this for a percentage of winnings (no charge unless they win the case).
And lastly, by doing so you also just normalize the casual and open discussion of forming unions in the workplace which is a net benefit to society and the general population.
Seems like the only people who benefit from perpetuating a fear of retaliation about union formation are the corporations 🤔