Union Corporate Campaigns and Their Current Impact on Collective Bargaining

By Luis Padilla Jr. - Linder & Marsack, S.C.

January 7, 2026

Significant collective bargaining agreements are set to expire in 2026, notably in the entertainment and professional sports industry, drawing attention to high profile disputes that could have an impact for employers facing upcoming collective bargaining.  More than 700 CBA’s are slated to run out in 2026, according to a Bloomberg law database.
 
Unions have been hard at work engaging current membership  in negative corporate campaigns, much as we have seen with Starbucks and Amazon organizing efforts. Unions have recently engaged bargaining tactics, emphasizing hostility and distrust, encouraging  employees that management cannot be trusted.  Union bargaining teams will arrive at the bargaining table in a much more adversarial mood.  Unions are engaging internal, trusted employees to facilitate these campaigns.  The typical union philosophy in launching such a campaign is to cost employers time, resources and disruption, with the ultimate goal of employers giving in to union demands at the bargaining table. 
 
Unions engage membership on what initially motivated them to join the union, such as their demanding workplace roles and the fact that the employer undervalues their contributions to the company’s success.  The employees give so much of themselves for so little in return. Many are inspired by this messaging.
 
Alleging or implying misconduct by company executives or the management team or claiming that the company does not pay its employees fairly are likely to add more fuel to any such fire.
 
Unions are capitalizing on messaging that these are perilous times, employers are losing contracts, and that financial performance has stalled or declined for many employers.  The message is that during tough economic times, unions should be adversaries and are needed more now than ever. 
 
AI will also be a key issue for many employers.  The collective bargaining agreements reached after the 2023 strikes included “essentially the first generation of guardrails for AI.”  Unions are challenging the expansion of AI as a predecessor to lost union jobs.
 
Unions claim that rising inflation and other economic challenges should motivate workers to demand better pay and benefits.  Although employers may struggle to meet such demands, unions continue to push back at the bargaining table after months of union messaging. 
 
Economic uncertainty only strengthens union corporate campaign efforts.  Increasing a sense of employee dissatisfaction among workers serves to strengthen the need for protection. This has resulted in longer collective bargaining timelines.
 
What Employers Can Do
 
Responding to these revised union tactics will require employers to maintain a pulse on union misinformation and respond proactively to disinformation campaigns. This will be a key component to having a successful negotiation. 
 
Given the power of the internet and social media platforms and the speed with which unions can launch and carry out sophisticated and well-coordinated corporate campaigns is nothing short of astounding. Employers would be well-advised to proactively develop strategies aimed at reducing their vulnerability to such campaigns and quickly and effectively respond to such campaigns. Companies of all sizes, in all locations, and in all industries are potentially vulnerable to internal corporate campaigns.
 
Such strategies could include:

•    Conducting employee wage assessments well in advance of upcoming bargaining. Evaluating pay equity within the company; 
•    Regularly engaging in positive employee relations training and messaging;
•    Ensuring up-to-date anti-harassment training;
•    Engaging employees in business literacy opportunities; and
•    Creating an effective internal and external communication system in relation to potential and actual union messaging.

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