US employers spend more than $1.5 billion annually on efforts to oppose labor unions, according to a report released Wednesday by the Economic Policy Institute (EPI). This spending includes hiring consultants and law firms that specialize in union avoidance, as well as legal counsel and litigation services during union elections and organizing campaigns.
Union Avoidance Consultants Cost $442 Million
The EPI estimates that employers spend $442 million each year on union-avoidance consultants alone. Amazon, for instance, spent $26.6 million in 2025 on such consultants, based on filings with the US Department of Labor. An Amazon spokesperson attributed the hiring of union-avoidance consultants to external groups, stating, “It’s important that our teammates and partners understand the truth, so we’ve continued to work with experts in the field who are able to share objective facts about what it actually means to have an external party take their voice.”
Impact on Workers and Union Membership
Margaret Poydock, a co-author of the report and senior policy analyst at the EPI, noted that this money could otherwise be invested in workers. “This is millions or even billions of dollars that’s not going towards workers and investing into their workplace,” she said. Poydock attributed the decline in union membership and density over recent decades partly to these union-avoidance efforts. Union density in the US now stands at 10%, down from 20.3% in 1983, despite Gallup polls showing nearly 70% of Americans approve of labor unions.
Law Firms and Policy Influence
The report highlights Littler Mendelson, a law firm that has represented Amazon, Starbucks, and Delta Air Lines in union campaigns. Through its Workplace Policy Institute, the firm has tracked and opposed legislation aimed at expanding workers' rights, such as opposing California’s AB5, which sought to combat worker misclassification, and supporting Prop 22, which allowed ride-share apps to classify drivers as independent contractors rather than employees.
“These law firms and consultants are essentially exploiting loopholes and weaknesses in our federal labor law and reporting requirements for these persuaders reports,” Poydock said. “But despite that, workers are still organizing, they are still winning elections and reaching first contracts. They’re trying to erode worker rights, not just for union workers or workers trying to form unions, but workers at large.”
Power Imbalance and Legal Violations
Teke Wiggin, a co-author of the report and strategic coordinator at the non-profit LaborLab, emphasized that US employers already hold significant power over workers, and the use of union-avoidance consultants further magnifies this imbalance. A previous EPI report found that employers are charged with violating labor law in 41.5% of all union elections. Through delay tactics and appeals, it takes an average of 465 days for workers to reach a first union contract, and in some cases, such as at Starbucks, workers have yet to secure a first contract since the first US store won a union election in 2021.
“Employers always have the choice to voluntarily recognize a union or agree to a neutrality agreement,” said Wiggin. “If they don’t, that’s a choice to try to bend the will of workers who are seeking to exercise their rights to free association, and that’s immoral and offensive to democratic values and the right to free association.”
