So, you’re asking if you can get a union going in a small business? The short answer is yeah, technically, you can. But let me tell you, it’s a whole different ball game than trying to organize some giant corporation. I saw it happen, or well, try to happen, at a place I worked for a good long while.
It was this little workshop, “Henderson’s Custom Cabinets.” Old Man Henderson, he ran it for like forty years. Paid okay, treated folks decently. You knew where you stood. Then he retired, and his son, Henderson Jr., took over. And boy, did things change. Suddenly it was all about “efficiency” and “maximizing shareholder value” – which was basically just him and his sister.
The Squeeze Begins
First thing, our hours got longer, but the pay stayed stubbornly put. Then they started messing with our benefits. Little things at first, then bigger chunks. Safety gear? “Make it last,” they’d say. We had a couple of near misses with some of the old machinery because maintenance was always “next week’s problem.” Morale just sank right through the floorboards. You could cut the tension with a dull saw.
A few of the younger guys, mostly in their twenties, started talking. Quietly at first, you know, during lunch breaks, out by the loading dock. I’m talking about whispers, not exactly a revolution. I’d been there a long time, seen a few flare-ups come and go. So, I mostly just listened, kept my head down. Figured it was just talk.
The “Let’s Do This” Moment
Then one of the new hires, a good kid named Leo, got his hand caught pretty bad. Not life-threatening, but bad enough. Henderson Jr.’s first question wasn’t “Is he okay?” but “Was he following protocol?” That was the spark, I think. Suddenly, the talk wasn’t just talk anymore.
Here’s what they tried to do, bless their hearts:
- Secret Meetings: They started meeting up after work, at someone’s house. I got invited to one, mostly ’cause I was the old timer, I guess. They were full of fire, waving around pamphlets they’d printed off the internet about workers’ rights.
- Reaching Out: Someone knew someone whose cousin was in a big trade union. So they made a call, got some advice. The union folks were helpful, sent them some material, but made it clear: with a shop our size, maybe 15 guys on the floor, it was gonna be an uphill battle. We were too small for them to really sink their teeth into helping directly.
- The Card Push: They decided they needed to get “authorization cards” signed. Proof that people actually wanted this. This was where it got real tricky.
Now, how do I know all this? Well, I was there, wasn’t I? Sipping lukewarm coffee in a cramped living room, watching these guys try to figure out labor law like it was a darn IKEA manual.
The Boss Fights Back (Quietly)
Henderson Jr. wasn’t stupid. He must have heard the rumblings. Suddenly, there were “improvements.” A new microwave in the break room. A suggestion box (that probably went straight into the shredder). He even started walking the floor more, trying to be everyone’s best friend. “We’re a family here,” he’d say. Yeah, a family where one guy gets the whole inheritance.
Then the subtle stuff started.
One of the main talkers, a young fella named Mark, suddenly got all the worst jobs. His hours got cut. Another guy, who was pretty vocal, got written up for being “late” by two minutes. Fear started to creep in. In a small shop, everyone knows everyone. You stick your neck out, you’re an easy target. There’s no crowd to hide in.
They even brought in this smooth-talking consultant dude for a “communications workshop.” We all knew what he was: a union buster, plain and simple. He talked about “open dialogue” while his eyes were basically saying, “I know who you are.”
What Happened in the End?
Well, it sort of fizzled. They got a few cards signed, but not enough. People got scared. Some guys just wanted to keep their heads down and get a paycheck. Can’t blame them, really. Mortgages to pay, kids to feed. The “family” argument, even if it’s BS, works on some folks when their job’s on the line.
The key organizers? Mark got “laid off” a few months later due to “restructuring.” Leo, the kid who got hurt, took a small settlement and never came back. It was a quiet, slow defeat.
So, yeah, you can try to unionize a small business. The law says you can. But what I saw was that it’s damn hard. The personal connection to the owner, even a bad one, makes it messy. There’s less anonymity. And frankly, a small owner can often just wait you out or pick you off one by one. It’s not like they’ve got an HR department and a board of directors to answer to. Sometimes, it’s just one guy calling all the shots, and he’ll fight like hell to keep it that way.
It left a sour taste, that whole affair. Things didn’t really get better at Henderson’s. But you know what? For a little while there, those young guys, they had a spark. They tried. And sometimes, I guess, just trying is something.
