Under Section 203 of the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act (LMRDA), any employer that hires an outside consultant to persuade employees on how to exercise their organizing rights, and any consultant that takes on that work, must disclose the arrangement to the Department of Labor on Form LM-20. That filing is supposed to include who was hired, which employees and unions are involved, and the terms of the deal, including pay. In practice, many of these “persuader” agreements only surface after an election has already happened, and some never disclose a rate at all. LaborLab tracks every LM-20 filing so workers can see who is being paid, how much, and by whom to shape the outcome of their union election. You can read more about why LMRDA Section 203 disclosure matters.
Here is the breakdown of the newest LM-20 filings and the related NLRB activity, covering four new disclosures from four anti-union consulting firms.
The $500-an-Hour Rate: Heightened Solutions at Festival Foods
The highest rate in this batch belongs to Festival Foods (WI), which retained Heightened Solutions at $500 an hour. The consultant is engaged to be available to communicate with employees about their organizing rights, hold voluntary meetings on the NLRA, and hand out copies of the NLRB’s basic guide to employees who want one — work covering “all associates at various locations” as UFCW organizes.
$475 an Hour: The Crossroads Group at Signature Aviation
Signature Aviation (FL) hired the Crossroads Group at $475 an hour, fee-for-service, to respond to IAM District 142’s organizing drive among employees at the company’s “West” operations at Teterboro Airport in New Jersey. The agreement has no fixed term and can be terminated by either party at any time.
$425 an Hour: LRI Consulting Services at MasterSpas
MasterSpas (IN) hired LRI Consulting Services at $425 an hour, plus travel expenses, to hold voluntary employee meetings educating shipping dock workers and shipping dock worker team leads at its Fort Wayne facility about their rights under the NLRA as IBT Local 414 organizes. The election remains open.
Filed After the Loss: Government Resources Consultants of America at Cognizant
Cognizant Technology Solutions US Corporation (NV) hired Government Resources Consultants of America to hold meetings with process engineers, senior process engineers, and subject matter experts in the bargaining unit. The filing lists no written or oral agreement on a maximum billing rate or amount, and no cap on hours. The election was lost, and the LM-20 wasn’t filed until after the tally was announced, denying workers critically important information before they cast their votes.
When companies hire consultants charging up to $500 an hour to fight worker organizing, including one that waited until after the union lost to disclose it, LaborLab makes sure workers know about it. Help us continue monitoring and publishing these disclosures by supporting our work today.