Unionization is difficult in much of the United States, particularly since businesses have successfully spread the image of union workers as lazy sponges to lower voter support. Businesses whose workers are unionizing run PR campaigns claiming all sorts of scary downsides and threaten to or actually do close stores if a union actually wins the vote. Since many of the most exploitative conditions happen where workers are low-status and have great reasons to fear unemployment or reduced hours, this is a powerful message unless the local economy is booming.<p>The Atlantic had a piece about how Walmart handles this:<p><a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.theatlantic.com&#x2F;business&#x2F;archive&#x2F;2015&#x2F;06&#x2F;how-walmart-convinces-its-employees-not-to-unionize&#x2F;395051&#x2F;" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.theatlantic.com&#x2F;business&#x2F;archive&#x2F;2015&#x2F;06&#x2F;how-walm...</a><p>If you remember the news in August about the NLRB allowing franchise workers to unionize with a parent company rather than each franchisee, this is why that was a big deal: currently, if the workers in Podunk unionize and the local franchisee decides to close the business instead of negotiating, it&#x27;s a minor write-off for the parent company. After that ruling, e.g. McDonald&#x27;s would have to take the heat for any retaliatory action.<p><a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.nytimes.com&#x2F;2015&#x2F;08&#x2F;28&#x2F;business&#x2F;labor-board-says-franchise-workers-can-bargain-with-parent-company.html" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.nytimes.com&#x2F;2015&#x2F;08&#x2F;28&#x2F;business&#x2F;labor-board-says-...</a>