WIRTW #686: the “non-union label” edition

(With a huge tip of the hat to my friend Mike VanDervort for the idea), and inspired by the impending union election at Creature Comforts, I asked Bard, Google's AI assistant, the following question: "What are some good names for a union-free craft beer?"

Bard's suggestions:

• Free Range Ale
• Independent IPA
• Maverick Pale Ale
• Unshackled Wheat 
• Renegade Stout
• Free Spirit Saison
• Unbowed Brown Ale
• Unbound Amber Ale
• Defiant Pilsner
• Untamed IPA
• Wild Card Porter

But it is its rationale for choosing those names that is the most enlightening. 

These names all convey the idea of being free from union control, while also being creative and catchy. They would be a good fit for a craft beer that is brewed by a small, independent brewery that values its employees and gives them a fair wage.

There's a whole lot of wisdom in the statement that valuing your employees and paying them a fair wage is what a business needs to do to stay union free. So, crack open an Unshackled Wheat or an Independent IPA and toast those businesses that treat their employees like people, and not like replaceable widgets whose only goal is to make the company profits; they will be the employers that will remain union free, even as the NLRB is doing everything within (and without) its power to unionize as many businesses as possible.

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Here's what I read this week that you should read, too.

Incorporating DEI into Decision-Making — via Harvard Business Review

How Workplaces Can Support Working Parents (And All Workers) During the School Year — via EntertainHR

How to fire anyone without legal repercussions — via Evil HR Lady, Suzanne Lucas

Lizzo Lawsuit Shows Employers "It's About Damn Time" To Train Their Managers — via HR Hero Line

Court re-orders 8 hours of religious-liberty training for an employer's lawyers; says they need it "direly." — via Eric Meyer's The Employer Handbook Blog

DOL Proposes Regulations Authorizing Union and Other Third-Party Representation of Employees During OSHA Inspections — via Workplace Safety and Environmental Law Alert Blog

Generative AI is already affecting work, but a 'long journey' awaits — via HR Dive

Biden's Labor Initiatives and Organizers' Challenges — via The Chief Organizer Blog

Meta is back in the office three days a week, as WFH continues to die — via The Verge

Going to Rehab? Patients Can Still Be Employees, Says Court — via Who Is My Employee

What You Missed This Summer – FLSA Regulation Proposed Changes — via Dan Schwartz's Connecticut 

Ohio craft breweries launch inaugural Ohio On Tap Week Sept. 8-17 — via Craft Brewing Business