Very few collision repair shops have unionized workforces, but more shop owners find themselves facing union organizing efforts, according to two attorneys who spoke at a recent industry event. 

    “The two unions that we see most commonly in the collision repair industry are the IAM (the International Association of Machinists) and most recently the IBEW (International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers), which has actually made the collision industry a target,” said Cory King, a California attorney who is chairman of the Collision Industry Conference (CIC) Human Resources Committee.
    “That’s why we’re talking about this because these are two unions that are focusing on your industry.” Joseph Sbuttoni, an attorney with King at Fine, Boggs, Cope & Perkins, said he recently represented a California shop where a union organization went on. He said any size shop can become unionized. The shop he represented was fairly small, he said – but consolidator or franchise shops “in some respects may be more attractive to unions.”
    Sbuttoni said that unionization efforts most frequently occur when workers contact a union after becoming disgruntled over pay or perceptions about how they are being treated. Union organizers then begin talking with employees, perhaps even at their homes.
    While employers may be able to spot subtle signs of possible union activity – changes in how employees communicate or interact with shop owners or managers, for example – the first official notice may not come until a representation petition has been filed with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). The petition must be signed by 30 percent of the employees
.    “If you employ 20 people, and seven of them sign union authorization cards, the union can file a petition calling for an election among all 20 employees about whether to form a union,” Sbuttoni said.
    Under federal requirements, that secret ballot vote is to be held 42 days after the petition has been filed. “That 42 days may be your only chance as an employer to communicate your message to the employees,” Sbuttoni said.
    “If 51 percent or more vote yes, you’ve got yourself a union.”