WASHINGTON (Globe Newswire) — The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Labor, the National Labor Relations Board and the U.S. Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service released a first-of-its-kind digital toolkit for employers seeking guidance on responding to their employees who are interested in exercising their right to form or join a union.
“Building strong teams and managing workforce issues are critical skillsets that small business owners must continually develop as they start and grow resilient businesses, and the SBA remains committed to supporting them with relevant content and trainings,” said SBA Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman, a member of the White House Task Force. “The resources in this collaborative digital toolkit will help small businesses learn about, evaluate and manage the growing worker-driven and market-based trends in employee organizing.”
The digital toolkit highlights the mutual benefits to employers and workers of labor-management partnerships and collective bargaining, in addition to providing a slew of resources – through partner agencies – including information on navigating workplace issues, working together to protect worker organizing, establishing labor-management partnerships, respecting workers’ freedom to choose union representation, and addressing concerns of small businesses.
“SBA’s toolkit is an invaluable resource for employers looking for information and guidance on unions and the value of collective bargaining,” said Labor Secretary Marty Walsh, who serves as vice chair of the White House Task Force. “Worker interest in forming unions is higher than we’ve seen in decades, and this resource will be an important tool in helping employers respond positively to worker organizing campaigns.”
Established on April 26, 2021, by an Executive Order signed by President Biden, the White House Task Force on Worker Organizing and Empowerment – chaired by Vice President Harris and vice-chaired by Walsh – directs the coordination and mobilization of over 20 federal agencies, to implement policies, programs, and practices to empower workers to organize and successfully bargain with their employers. Following up on that stated commitment, the Task Force published a report with over 70 recommendations in February 2022 that aims to improve relations between and outcomes for both American workers and small businesses.
Developed through collaboration across federal agencies, the toolkit also builds on the Biden-Harris Administration’s pro-union legacy, coming on the heels of the passing of the pro-worker and pro-small business Inflation Reduction Act, which will lower costs for American families, create a more equitable economy, and introduce new opportunities for small businesses and manufacturers, who create nearly two-thirds of net new private sector jobs.
