nypost.com
Open in
urlscan Pro
192.0.66.32
Public Scan
URL:
https://nypost.com/2023/11/02/opinion/unions-deceptive-salting-loophole-leaves-a-bad-taste/
Submission: On November 04 via manual from US — Scanned from US
Submission: On November 04 via manual from US — Scanned from US
Form analysis 3 forms found in the DOM
https://nypost.com/
<form class="search__form" action="https://nypost.com/" id="nav-search">
<div class="search__inner" role="search">
<label for="search-input-interior" class="screen-reader-text"> Search </label>
<input type="search" name="s" class="search__input" placeholder="Type to Search" value="">
</div>
<button class="search__submit" type="submit" id="search-submit" value="search" tabindex="-1" aria-label="Click to Search">
<span class="search__submit-text"> Search </span>
<span class="search__submit-icon">
<svg width="23" height="24" viewBox="0 0 23 24" tabindex="-1" aria-hidden="true">
<path data-name="Search Icon" d="M21.568 24l-7.348-7.344a9.218 9.218 0 111.54-1.325L23 22.569 21.569 24zM9.116 2.025a7.087 7.087 0 107.091 7.087 7.1 7.1 0 00-7.091-7.087z" fill="var(--wp--custom--color--brand-primary)"></path>
</svg>
</span>
</button>
</form><form class="search__form">
<div class="search__inner" role="search">
<label for="search-input-header" class="screen-reader-text"> Search </label>
<span class="search__input-icon"><svg width="23" height="24" viewBox="0 0 23 24" tabindex="-1" aria-hidden="true">
<path data-name="Search Icon" d="M21.568 24l-7.348-7.344a9.218 9.218 0 111.54-1.325L23 22.569 21.569 24zM9.116 2.025a7.087 7.087 0 107.091 7.087 7.1 7.1 0 00-7.091-7.087z" fill="#fff"></path>
</svg>
</span>
<input type="search" name="s" class="search__input" id="search-input-header" placeholder="Type to Search" tabindex="-1" data-search-header="input">
</div>
<button class="search__submit" type="submit" tabindex="-1" aria-label="Click to Search" data-search-header="submit">
<span class="search__submit-text">Search</span>
<span class="search__submit-icon"><svg width="23" height="24" viewBox="0 0 23 24" tabindex="-1" aria-hidden="true">
<path data-name="Search Icon" d="M21.568 24l-7.348-7.344a9.218 9.218 0 111.54-1.325L23 22.569 21.569 24zM9.116 2.025a7.087 7.087 0 107.091 7.087 7.1 7.1 0 00-7.091-7.087z" fill="#fff"></path>
</svg>
</span>
</button>
</form><form class="inline-module__form newsletter-form" data-nypost-editor="newsletter-block">
<div class="newsletter-form__wrapper">
<div class="floating-label input-container input-container--floating-label">
<input type="hidden" name="site_id" value="nypost">
<input type="hidden" id="_newsletter_nonce" name="_newsletter_nonce" value="f8a7bc1b9c"><input type="hidden" name="_wp_http_referer" value="/2023/11/02/opinion/unions-deceptive-salting-loophole-leaves-a-bad-taste/"> <input type="hidden"
name="list_id" value="70848">
<input type="email" id="newsletter-block-email-65458cfca636b" class="floating-label__input " name="email" placeholder=" ">
<div class="floating-label__label-wrap">
<label for="email" class="floating-label__label">Enter your email address</label>
</div>
</div>
<p class="newsletter-form__error">
<svg width="15" height="15">
<path
d="M7.5 0A7.5 7.5 0 1 0 15 7.5 7.5 7.5 0 0 0 7.5 0Zm.62 3.952-.112 4.15a.516.516 0 0 1-.508.534.516.516 0 0 1-.508-.534l-.112-4.15a.621.621 0 0 1 .62-.635.621.621 0 0 1 .625.635Zm-.62 7.082a.664.664 0 1 1 .689-.663.67.67 0 0 1-.689.663Z"
fill="#e13131"></path>
</svg>
<span class="error_msg"> Please provide a valid email address. </span>
</p>
<input type="submit" value="Sign Up" class="submit"
data-ga-event="
{"category":"Inline Newsletter Module Evening Update","action":"Button Click","label":"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2023\/11\/02\/opinion\/unions-deceptive-salting-loophole-leaves-a-bad-taste\/"} " data-ga4-event="
{"event_name":"ux_engagement","source_unit":"Inline Newsletter Module Evening Update","source_position":"Button Click"} ">
<div class="newsletter-form__notice">
<p class="t-color-black m-bottom-none"> By clicking above you agree to the <a href="/terms">Terms of Use</a> and <a href="/privacy">Privacy Policy</a>. </p>
</div>
</div>
<div class="newsletter-form__success">
<p class="inline-module__cta">
<strong>Thanks for signing up!</strong>
<br> Never miss a story.
</p>
<div class="t-center">
<a href="https://email.nypost.com/">
<span>Check out more newsletters</span>
</a>
</div>
</div>
<input type="checkbox" name="nyp_phone" value="1" style="display:none !important" tabindex="-1" autocomplete="off">
</form>Text Content
Primary Menu Sections
Search
Search
Skip to search results
* News
* Metro
* Page Six
* Sports Open sub menu
* NFL
* MLB
* NBA
* NHL
* College Football
* College Basketball
* Post Sports+
* Sports Betting
* Business Open sub menu
* Personal Finance
* Opinion
* Entertainment Open sub menu
* TV
* Movies
* Music
* Celebrities
* Awards
* Theater
* Shopping
* Lifestyle Open sub menu
* Weird But True
* Health
* Sex & Relationships
* Viral Trends
* Human Interest
* Parenting
* Fashion & Beauty
* Food & Drink
* Travel
* Real Estate
* Media
* Tech
* Astrology
* Video
* Photos
* Visual Stories
* Sub Menu 1
* Today’s Paper
* Covers
* Columnists
* Horoscopes
* Games
* Sports Odds
* Podcasts
* Careers
* Sub menu 2
* Email Newsletters
* Official Store
* Home Delivery
* Tips
Log In
Search Email
New York Post
Log In
November 3, 2023
Search
Search
RECOMMENDED
Skip to main content
VOA SIDES WITH HAMAS, DON’T DEMONIZE THE SPEAKER AND OTHER COMMENTARY
WITH TRUMP AND BIDEN, BOTH PARTIES ARE BETTING THE OTHER ONE IS WORSE
HAMAS LEADER SHOWS WHY NO CEASE-FIRE IS POSSIBLE IF ISRAEL IS TO SURVIVE
NEW BOOK ‘BIGOT’ GIVES US CELEBRITIES TO HATE WATCH
US BIRD SOCIETY’S FOWL WOKE REBRANDING
‘MAO’S AMERICA’ AUTHOR XI VAN FLEET REVEALS HOW US IS ON THE VERGE OF BECOMING A
COMMUNIST STATE LIKE CHINA
AMY SCHUMER BACKED ISRAEL, AND FOR THE LEFT THAT’S GOING TOO FAR
BIDEN’S CALL FOR AN ISRAELI ‘PAUSE’ MEANS HE’S JUMPING SHIP ON OUR ALLY
Opinion
* Facebook
* Twitter
* Flipboard
* WhatsApp
* Email
* Copy
*
* 2424 Comments
UNIONS’ DECEPTIVE ‘SALTING’ LOOPHOLE LEAVES A BAD TASTE
By
F. Vincent Vernuccio
SOCIAL LINKS FOR F. VINCENT VERNUCCIO
* View Author Archive
* Get author RSS feed
Thanks for contacting us. We've received your submission.
Back to Reading
Published Nov. 2, 2023, 7:41 p.m. ET
Workers United, a Service Employees International Union affiliate, hired labor
organizers who got jobs at Starbucks and pushed for unionization while also
collecting a union paycheck. Getty Images
MORE ON: UNIONS
* STARBUCKS TO ADD 17,000 LOCATIONS BY 2030, CUT COSTS BY $3 BILLION
* BRONX DEFENDERS UNION INEXPLICABLY SIDES WITH HAMAS
* NEW YORK TIMES TECH WORKERS TO STRIKE OVER RETURN-TO-OFFICE RULES: REPORT
* UAW REACHES DEAL WITH GM, ENDING COORDINATED STRIKE AGAINST DETROIT
AUTOMAKERS
Will 2023 be the year labor unions reverse their long membership decline?
After hitting a record-low unionization rate of 10.1% in 2022, unions are
looking to a loophole in federal labor law that centers on deceiving workers.
They’re bringing back an old union tactic called “salting,” and as new polling
from my organization shows, Americans want Congress to close this loophole and
give workers the transparency they deserve.
Consider the union campaign to organize Starbucks, which got its start in New
York.
More than 350 of the company’s stores have unionized, yet employees’ decisions
were often anything but organic.
Workers United — a Service Employees International Union affiliate — hired labor
organizers who got jobs at Starbucks, then pushed for unionization on the coffee
company’s dime — while also collecting a union paycheck.
These “salts” start by building trust with workers.
As one Starbucks salt told a group of fellow organizers, it’s best to do
“thankless chores” that gain the appreciation of peers and “make the company
less suspicious of you.”
Yet once they’re done unclogging toilets, they smear the employer while creating
a toxic work environment.
Salts complain about management, pay and working conditions and suggest forming
a union is the only solution.
They can rally specific workers to show up for elections and encourage
less-supportive employees to sit it out.
This could help explain why some recent union victories have come with as few as
11% of employees voting.
Workers often don’t realize their colleagues are deceptive union plants.
One Starbucks barista in Buffalo told the media salting is “very unsettling
because some of these people I thought were my friends.” Another Starbucks
worker said it’s “very scheme-y.”
Workers at 19 Starbucks stores and counting have already filed petitions to
decertify their union, in part reflecting anger at the deception that
accompanies salting.
It appears salts frequently leave the workplace after a successful unionization
election, prioritizing the next union target over the workers they claimed to
stand with.
Starbucks is far from the only company to experience salting.
When Amazon workers at a Staten Island warehouse voted to organize last year, at
least six union-paid salts had already pushed their nonunion coworkers in that
direction.
Union activists say salts are important in organizing fast-food companies like
Chipotle.
Labor-aligned media outlets like The Nation and Jacobin have called for a
resurgence in salting, and unions seem to be heeding this advice.
Look no further than a Teamsters local in Connecticut that’s hiring salts with
the intention of placing them at unknown companies.
How many salts are active nationwide?
KEEP UP WITH TODAY'S MOST IMPORTANT NEWS
Stay up on the very latest with Evening Update.
Enter your email address
Please provide a valid email address.
By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Thanks for signing up!
Never miss a story.
Check out more newsletters
There’s no way to get an accurate number, which is the problem.
Unions aren’t required to disclose their organizers’ identities, either official
or undercover, though some salts disclose their identity voluntarily.
By contrast, federal law requires transparency from employers.
When employers pay labor consultants to talk to workers about unionization, they
must disclose the consultants’ identities within 30 days and detail their pay,
expenses and activities.
The consultants must also file their own federal reports.
If businesses have to be fully transparent, labor unions should, too.
Anything less is a disservice to workers, who have the most at stake yet know
the least about how the union is trying to sway them.
Salts are “the secret ingredient in a once-in-a-generation wave of union
organizing,” according to Bloomberg.
But labor unions want to keep them secret, the better to deceive workers with
the appearance of grassroots support for unionization.
One Starbucks salt even hid her union affiliation (and nearly $50,000 in union
pay ) when testifying before Congress last year, thereby breaking the House’s
“truth in testimony” requirement.
Unions want to keep salts in the shadows, but Americans want them brought into
the light.
In a new poll from Big Village, my organization found 75% of Americans agree
that if employers need to disclose their labor consultants, unions should
disclose all their organizers, including salts.
Some 59% want unionization elections with hidden salts to be thrown out as
unfair.
And 62% want workplaces to be able to ask applicants if they’re union organizers
— something that’s banned under federal law.
Businesses should be able to reject candidates who are clearly only there to
unionize workers.
This loophole needs to be closed quickly.
24
What do you think? Post a comment.
Employees need to know if their angry coworker is bought and paid for by the
union, putting a union agenda ahead of workers’ interests.
If unions truly want to reverse their decline in membership, they should try
transparency and honesty instead of secrecy and deception.
F. Vincent Vernuccio is president of the Institute for the American Worker.
SHARE THIS ARTICLE:
* Facebook
* Twitter
* Flipboard
* WhatsApp
* Email
* Copy
*
* 2424 Comments
Filed under
* amazon
* chipotle mexican grill
* congress
* polls
* starbucks
* unions
* 11/2/23
Read Next Biden's call for an Israeli 'pause' means he's jumping shi...
Sponsored
Continue watching
How to Keep Your Houseplants Alive in Fall and Winter
SPONSORED STORIES
Around The Web
Michelle Obama's Former Secret Service Agent Spills The TeaKatiecouric.com
Retton's Pneumonia Fight Takes A Drastic Turn For The WorseNYPost.com
Mystery Mar-A-Lago Sale Raises Serious Questions About TrumpNYPost.com
The One Actor Matthew Perry Said Could Play Him In A BiopicDecider.com
Why James Hetfield's Favorite Band Is A Complete No-BrainerRockcelebrities.net
Prince William Spills The Truth About Harry And Stuns Royal FansKatiecouric.com
Basketball Icon Bobby Knights Passes At 83Wonderwall.com
The Tragic Death Of Fox News Anchor Uma PemmarajuNickiSwift.com
The Tragedy Of Kimberly Guilfoyle Is Just So SadNickiSwift.com
Powered by ZergNet
WHAT TO SHOP NOW
* ON THE MOVE OR AT THE GYM, THIS FLEECE SET IS YOUR NEW WINTER ESSENTIAL
* THE 63 BEST GIFTS FOR 10-YEAR-OLD BOYS AND GIRLS, PER EXPERTS
* 18 BEST KIDS WINTER COATS FOR GIRLS AND BOYS TO KEEP THEM WARM IN 2023
* BLACK FRIDAY CAME EARLY AT BEST BUY: 19 EARLY BLACK FRIDAY 2023 DEALS YOU CAN
SHOP NOW
* SAVE $200 ON ALL-CLAD'S 7-PIECE STAINLESS-STEEL COOKWARE SET — TODAY ONLY!
COLUMNISTS
* RICH LOWRY
WITH TRUMP AND BIDEN, BOTH PARTIES ARE BETTING THE OTHER ONE IS WORSE
* DOUGLAS MURRAY
FACED WITH RISE IN JEWISH HATE, KAMALA HARRIS TACKLES MADE-UP 'ISLAMPHOBIA'
* MIRANDA DEVINE
'MAO'S AMERICA' AUTHOR REVEALS HOW US IS ON THE VERGE OF BECOMING A COMMUNIST
STATE LIKE CHINA
SEE ALL COLUMNISTS
COVERS
TODAY'S COVER
FRONT COVER BACK COVER
FLIP FOR BACK COVER
BROWSE COVERS
TRENDING NOW ON NYPOST.COM
* This story has been shared 68,171 times. 68,171
TRAVIS KELCE’S RESPONSE WHEN ASKED IF HE’S ‘IN LOVE’ WITH TAYLOR SWIFT
* This story has been shared 65,061 times. 65,061
MIKE JOHNSON'S ADOPTED SON SAYS HE'S THANKFUL TO THE HOUSE SPEAKER’S FAMILY
AFTER HIS TROUBLED PAST IS REVEALED
* This story has been shared 50,247 times. 50,247
MATTHEW PERRY REMEMBERED BY 'FRIENDS' CO-STARS, FAMILY AT SERVICE
MORE STORIES
PAGE SIX
AL PACINO, 83, TO PAY 29-YEAR-OLD GIRLFRIEND NOOR ALFALLAH $30K A MONTH IN CHILD
SUPPORT
DECIDER
*
Why Was ‘Dateline’s Keith Morrison At The Scene of Matthew Perry’s Death?
NYPOST
TRAVIS KELCE’S RESPONSE WHEN ASKED IF HE’S ‘IN LOVE’ WITH TAYLOR SWIFT
* Facebook
* Twitter
* Instagram
* LinkedIn
* Email
* YouTube
* Sections & Features
* News
* Metro
* Sports
* Sports Betting
* Business
* Opinion
* Entertainment
* Fashion & Beauty
* Shopping
* Lifestyle
* Real Estate
* Media
* Tech
* Health
* Travel
* Astrology
* Video
* Photos
* Visual Stories
* Alexa
* Covers
* Horoscopes
* Sports Odds
* Podcasts
* Columnists
* Classifieds
* Post Sports+
* Subscribe
* Articles
* Manage
* Newsletters & Feeds
* Email Newsletters
* RSS Feeds
* NY Post Official Store
* Home Delivery
* Subscribe
* Manage Subscription
* Delivery Help
* Help/Support
* About New York Post
* Customer Service
* Apps Help
* Community Guidelines
* Contact Us
* Tips
* Newsroom
* Letters to the Editor
* Licensing & Reprints
* Careers
* Vulnerability Disclosure Program
* Apps
* iPhone App
* iPad App
* Android Phone
* Android Tablet
* Advertise
* Self Service
* Media Kit
* Contact
© 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved Terms of Use Membership Terms
Privacy Notice Sitemap
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Your California Privacy Rights Do Not Sell or Share My Personal
Information/Opt-Out
SHARE LINK
click to copy
This page is not available in your area.
NYP - STRICTLY NECESSARY COOKIES AND SIMILAR TECHNOLOGIES
Strictly necessary cookies are essential for the website to function correctly.
These cookies may also be used to assist in fraud prevention and security. You
can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but without
them, performance of the site may be affected and you may not be able to take
full advantage of all services and/or features of the site.
STRICTLY NECESSARY COOKIES
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched
off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you
which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy
preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to
block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then
work. These cookies do not store any personally identifiable information.
NEWSCORP.COM ANALYTICS COOKIES
We and our service providers, such as Google Analytics, use analytics cookies to
collect information about your use of the website to help create reports and
statistics on the performance of the website, which enable us to improve the way
they work. Analytics cookies collect information such as your IP address, type
of device, operating system, referring URLs, country information data and time
of page visits, and pages visited. This information allows us to identify
overall patterns of usage on the website, and help us record any difficulties
you have with website. For information about how to opt-out of Google Analytics
cookies, please use the following link: Google Analytics
SUBMIT AN ACCESS, CORRECTION OR DELETION REQUEST TO NYP PRIVACY
Residents of CA , CO, CT and VA have certain other rights with respect to their
personal information. Should you wish to exercise any of those other rights,
please indicate your preferences through the “Submit Request” link provided
below.
Submit Request
DO NOT SELL OR SHARE MY PERSONAL INFORMATION ONLY FOR NYP PRINT SUBSCRIBERS
If you are a CA, CT or VA resident and currently subscribe for (or are a former
subscriber of) home delivery of the print edition of the New York Post, you may
opt out of offline third party sales by using the “Submit an Opt Out Request”
link below. (Note: this option does not apply to residents of CO because there
is no home delivery service in CO.) Submit an Opt Out Request
DO NOT SELL OR SHARE MY PERSONAL INFORMATION FOR NYP INTERNET AND MOBILE USERS
Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information for NYP Internet and Mobile Users
If you do not wish for us or our third party partners such as advertising
networks and social media platforms to sell or share your personal information
to others, please click the red "Do Not Sell or Share My Personal
Information/Opt-Out” button provided below. If you access this site and/or app
from other devices or browsers, or clear your cookies on your devices or
browsers, you will need to indicate your preferences again from those devices or
browsers. Please note that after making your “Do Not Sell or Share” request, you
may still see advertising and we may continue to share personal information with
our service providers who use such information on our behalf. To learn more
about interest-based advertising across sites and additional opt-out choices,
you can visit http://optout.aboutads.info and
http://optout.networkadvertising.org.
KNEWZ - ANALYTICS COOKIES AND SIMILAR TECHNOLOGIES
We and our service providers, such as Google Analytics, use analytics cookies to
collect information about your use of the website to help create reports and
statistics on the performance of the website, which enable us to improve the way
the site works. Analytics cookies collect information such as your IP address,
type of device, operating system, referring URLs, country information data and
time of page visits, and pages visited. This information allows us to identify
overall patterns of usage on the website, and help us record any difficulties
you have with website.
KNEWZ - ADVERTISING COOKIES AND SIMILAR TECHNOLOGIES
We may also partner with our affiliated companies, social media platforms and
other third parties where those companies and platforms gather information
through advertising cookies of users of our site in order to deliver targeted
advertising campaigns or advertisements to such users while they are on those
social media platforms.
NYP - FUNCTIONALITY COOKIES AND SIMILAR TECHNOLOGIES
Functionality cookies collect information regarding your choices and preferences
(such as, your language preference, user name, or location) to provide a more
personalized online experience and show you content relevant to where you are,
such as customizing a certain webpage or remembering if we have asked you to
sign up for our Services. With mobile or other internet enabled devices,
functionality cookies may collect a unique identifier assigned to an internet
enabled device (mobile, tablet), geolocation data or other traffic information
for that device. These features help us improve your experience with the
website, for example, to determine the appropriate device location during a
session or count articles viewed.
NYP - ANALYTICS COOKIES AND SIMILAR TECHNOLOGIES
We and our service providers, such as Google Analytics, use analytics cookies to
collect information about your use of the website to help create reports and
statistics on the performance of the website, which enable us to improve the way
the site works. Analytics cookies collect information such as your IP address,
type of device, operating system, referring URLs, country information data and
time of page visits, and pages visited. This information allows us to identify
overall patterns of usage on the website, and help us record any difficulties
you have with website.
NYP - UNKNOWN
Unknown
NYP OBSOLETE
Obsolete/cookies not in use
SOCIAL MEDIA COOKIES
These cookies are set by a range of social media services that we have added to
the site to enable you to share our content with your friends and networks. They
are capable of tracking your browser across other sites and building up a
profile of your interests. This may impact the content and messages you see on
other websites you visit. If you do not allow these cookies you may not be
able to use or see these sharing tools.
TARGETING COOKIES
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may
be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you
relevant adverts on other sites. They do not store directly personal
information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet
device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted
advertising.
PERFORMANCE COOKIES
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and
improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the
most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All
information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you
do not allow these cookies we will not know when you have visited our site, and
will not be able to monitor its performance.
FUNCTIONAL COOKIES
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and
personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose
services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then
some or all of these services may not function properly.
NEWSCORP.COM STRICTLY NECESSARY AND FUNCTIONALITY COOKIES
Strictly necessary cookies are essential for the website to function correctly.
These cookies may be used to assist in fraud prevention, security and to enable
filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these
cookies, but without them, some parts of the website may not work. Functionality
cookies may collect a unique identifier assigned to an internet enabled device
(mobile, tablet), geolocation data or other traffic information for that device.
These features help us improve your experience with the website, for example, to
determine the appropriate device location during a session or store language
settings.
NEWSCORP.COM - UNKNOWN COOKIES
Newscorp.com - Unknown cookies
Cookies on the newscorp.com website that show up in the scan, but were not
identified in the cookie audit of 2022.
Back Button
COOKIE LIST
Search Icon
Filter Icon
Clear
checkbox label label
Apply Cancel
Consent Leg.Interest
checkbox label label
checkbox label label
checkbox label label
Confirm
Before you go ...