Millions spent on union-busting consultants

Today, Starbucks former CEO Howard Schultz is testifying before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) to answer claims he was involved in illegal union-busting at the coffee giant.

The Senate HELP Committee hearing, “No Company Is Above the Law: The Need to End Illegal Union Busting at Starbucks,” will shine a light on what so many corporations are doing to derail workers’ organizing rights.

One prolific union-busting tactic: Corporations hire “union-avoidance” consultants to dissuade and weaken workers’ unionization efforts. EPI estimates employers spend $433 million per year on these consultants—a figure that is just a drop in the bucket without sufficient data to expose the extent of employer spending on union avoidance.

Policymakers should pass the PRO Act and the No Tax Breaks for Union Busting Act, as well as finalize federal rulemaking, to protect workers and expose the full scope of corporations’ use of union-avoidance consultants and other union-busting tactics. Read the fact sheet