LaborLab Launches Tools to Combat Union-Avoidance Tactics

HELENA, MT, September 09, 2026 /CourierPR/ -- LaborLab, a workers' rights organization, has launched two new tools aimed at empowering employees to understand and combat the tactics used by anti-union consultants and law firms. The launch, set for September 8, comes in response to the pervasive use of union-avoidance strategies by U.S. employers.

The first tool is a searchable database that compiles information on more than 800 consultants, 8,000 law firms, and 21,000 attorneys. This online union-buster search tool allows workers to research the attorneys and consultants their employers have hired, view the rates they charge (when available), and identify patterns in their activities. Users can also see which unions these professionals have targeted most frequently and, where applicable, their win-loss records. Direct links to National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) cases and Department of Labor (DOL) disclosures are provided.

In tandem with the search tool, LaborLab has introduced a cost calculator. This innovative calculator estimates the full cost of an employer's anti-union campaign, including direct expenditures on attorneys and consultants, as well as hidden internal costs such as paid employee time spent in anti-union one-on-one meetings and staff meetings. The calculator also provides an estimate of the wage increase the employer could have provided with those resources instead. LaborLab's estimates have been presented to the Minnesota Senate and cited in coverage of organizing campaigns by nurses, therapists, and mechanics.

According to Bob Funk, the executive director of LaborLab, "These tools advance LaborLab's vision of providing resources that can help directly empower workers to organize their workplaces." He explained that the search tool and cost calculator are designed to help worker-organizers, union staff, and labor attorneys identify unions that have previously dealt with specific anti-union attorneys or consultants and learn from their experiences. This information can then be shared with other workers to strengthen their organizing efforts.

The search tool and cost calculator draw on filings from the NLRB and DOL. They bring together data on over 8,000 law firms and 21,000 attorneys, compiling information on their activities and related payments. This centralized resource aims to shine a light on the $1.7 billion union-avoidance industry, which has long been shrouded in secrecy due to reporting loopholes, weak enforcement, and fragmented government databases.

Founded in 2021, LaborLab is the nation's leading watchdog tracking the union-avoidance industry. The organization empowers tens of thousands of workers annually through research and educational resources, and holds corporations accountable for violating workers' rights. Through LMRDA compliance monitoring, investigative research, and real-time campaign intelligence, LaborLab helps workers organize and secure strong first contracts.

These new tools are a crucial step towards closing the information gap for workers, as they provide a comprehensive view of the anti-union tactics employed by employers. By making this information easily accessible, LaborLab aims to equip workers with the knowledge and resources they need to organize and negotiate for better working conditions and wages.