The hearing focused on whether corporate campaigns can be used to organize workers in a company where the majority of workers may not want collective bargaining representation. According to Jarol Mannheim, a professor of media and public affairs at George Washington University, corporate campaigns center on the media. Unions attempt to tarnish the company’s image, until it yields on the issue under dispute.
Typically, labor organizations gauge worker interest through authorization cards that are signed by employees who want collective bargaining representation. However, these authorization cards are signed in the presence of a pro-union coworker or outside union organizer. Typically, no government supervision is provided during this time. Many believe that the absence of government supervision has led to deceptions, coercion and other abuses over the years.