A network of labor relations consultants operating under Labor Management Consultants, LLC (LMC), a Columbus, Ohio-based firm, has been retained by Carroll Electric Cooperative, Inc. – located in Carrollton, Ohio. LMC primarily operates in and around the Midwest and is known for its work busting unions within the industrial and manufacturing sectors. Public filings show the firm has also been employed to counter unionization efforts in nursing homes, coffee shops, bakeries, and car dealerships.
In March, Carroll Electric Cooperative, a not-for-profit cooperative owned by over 10,000 consumer-members, hired LMC “to represent Carroll Electric Cooperative in a campaign to avoid unionization.” According to filings with the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), the cooperative has been paying LMC “$250 per hour plus travel and expenses” since March 8th. LMC’s services include “giving speeches, preparing written materials for distribution, and conducting meetings with employees and management for purposes of remaining union-free, and addressing questions and rights afforded under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA).”
A representative petition indicates that 17 linemen, meter room personnel, staking engineers, mechanics, and warehouse coordinators are seeking to form a union with the Utility Workers Union of America (UWUA).
While Carroll Electric prides itself on being a not-for-profit committed to providing “reliable and affordable energy,” a review of LMC’s financial disclosures to the DOL in 2023 suggests the cooperative is likely spending thousands of dollars daily on these anti-unionization efforts. This translates to thousands of dollars a day spent attempting to prevent 17 hardworking employees from having a voice in their workplace and future.
Carroll Electric Cooperative has been added to LaborLab’s Union-Buster Tracker for 2024.
