New federal disclosures reveal employers in Michigan and Connecticut spending thousands to block workers from organizing—while filing their required disclosures only after the damage was done.
Follow the Money
This week’s Department of Labor filings spotlight two employers who turned to high-priced union-busting consultants as workers fought for representation, and both cases raise serious red flags about the disclosure system meant to protect workers.
Exclusive Heating & Cooling Co., Inc. in Detroit, Michigan retained Permanent Solutions Labor Consultants at $400 per hour plus a $10,000 retainer as workers sought representation with SMART Local 80. Meanwhile, PetVet Care Centers, LLC – a national chain of veterinary clinics headquartered in Westport, Connecticut – brought in EVGV, LLC at $2,700 per day to fight an organizing effort by Teamsters Local 856.
Workers Win—But the System Failed Them
Despite the employer opposition, workers in both campaigns prevailed. At Exclusive Heating & Cooling, workers voted to win union representation on December 30th. At PetVet Care Centers, workers voted on February 12th to secure representation with Teamsters Local 856.
However, in both instances, the required LM-20 disclosures – the federal forms employers must file when they hire outside consultants to persuade workers on union issues – were submitted only after the elections had already concluded. At Exclusive Heating & Cooling, the form wasn’t filed until February 11th, more than six weeks after workers cast their ballots on December 30th. At PetVet, the filing came on February 17th, five days after the February 12th vote.
This is a recurring and serious problem. The entire purpose of LM-20 disclosure requirements is to give workers timely information about who is behind the information they’re receiving during a campaign. When union busting consultants file after the election, workers are denied the ability to evaluate that information when it matters most: before they vote.
The information blackout isn’t a technicality; it’s a fundamental denial of informed decision-making.
What This Means for Workers
Whether you’re a Detroit HVAC technician or a Connecticut veterinary worker, the pattern is the same: employers invest heavily in union avoidance, deploy professional consultants to shape every message workers hear during a campaign, and rely on a disclosure system with weak enforcement to keep workers in the dark until it’s too late.
The good news is that workers keep winning anyway. Both campaigns this week resulted in union victories, which serve as proof that even well-funded opposition can’t always overcome workers’ determination to have a collective voice on the job.
But workers deserve better than having to win despite a broken transparency system. Timely disclosure isn’t a bureaucratic nicety, it’s a worker right.
LaborLab monitors federal disclosures so workers know who’s really behind the messaging they hear during organizing campaigns. Support our work to keep this watchdog running.