National Labor Relations Advocates (NLRA)

What National Labor Relations Advocates (NLRA) does

National Labor Relations Advocates (NLRA) is a privately held Ohio-based labor relations consulting firm that helps employers prevent unionization, win National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) representation elections, negotiate collective bargaining agreements (CBAs), and defend against unfair labor practice (ULP) charges. The firm serves employers facing immediate union organizing threats as well as those seeking proactive employee engagement programs across diverse industries—manufacturing, healthcare, distribution, retail, waste management, security, sports, and construction—including historical Fortune 500 clients such as American Airlines, Chrysler, Coca-Cola USA, PepsiCo USA, Target, Toys R Us, and Archer-Daniels Midland. NLRA operates from a Cincinnati headquarters at 312 Walnut Street, Suite 1600, with additional regional presence in Beaufort, South Carolina and Jacksonville, North Carolina, on a small core team of approximately seven professionals led by Managing Partner Jim Allen and Senior Labor Relations Advocate Paul Sommerville (in practice since 1974).

The firm’s core offerings are: (1) Union Election Campaign management—full-service campaign strategy, supervisor training, on-site visits, and communication materials delivered within 24 hours of retention with a claimed 90%+ win rate; (2) the Labor Relations Enrichment (LRE) Program, a three-phase proactive methodology (Investigate & Assess, Analyze & Debrief, Coach & Train) using anonymous surveys and policy review; (3) Collective Bargaining negotiation services with budget billing; and (4) Unfair Labor Practice Defense representation. In October 2025, NLRA extended this service suite with the Union Election Playbook—a tiered DIY product (Lite, Standard, Plus) with consultation-hour bundles and credits of $2,500 and $5,000 respectively toward full-service upgrades in the upper tiers—broadening the addressable market to mid-market and smaller employers. The firm delivers on an employee (rather than independent-contractor) model with background-checked advocates and emphasizes legal compliance, including a claimed track record of zero meritorious NLRB objections or ULP charges since founding.

NLRA’s revenue model is predominantly quote-based professional services, supplemented by one-time license fees for the Union Election Playbook product. Distribution combines a sales-led enterprise field-sales motion, a toll-free hotline (844-4-NO-UNION), free 15-minute consultations, content marketing (blog and newsletter), speaking engagements to employer associations, and free demand-generation tools (Union Vulnerability Risk Assessment and a BLS-based Cost of Unionization Calculator). Credibility and referrals flow through BBB accreditation, American Bar Association (ABA) membership, and Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) membership. The firm has no external investors, no parent company, no disclosed revenue, no technology platform, and no AI/ML components; competitive advantage rests on senior practitioner expertise, proprietary campaign methodology, and a clean compliance record.

Name

National Labor Relations Advocates (NLRA)

Legal name

National Labor Relations Advocates LLC

Website

https://nlradvocates.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Labor Relations Consulting Services

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Employment & Labor Law (BPAHAAAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Labor Relations & Employment Practice Advisory (BPAHAGAK), Labor Relations & Union Management Training (EDABAIAK)

Keywords

• Labor relations consulting
• Union avoidance services
• NLRB election campaigns
• Collective bargaining negotiation
• Unfair labor practice defense

Headquarters

HQ city

Cincinnati

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Union Election Campaign Services: Full-service campaign management for employers facing NLRB union election petitions. Services include comprehensive review and analysis, communication strategies, supervisor training, on-site visits, multi-media materials, and ongoing education. The company claims a 90%+ win rate.
2. Labor Relations Enrichment (LRE) Program: Proactive union avoidance consulting service with three-phase methodology. Includes anonymous surveys, interviews, policy analysis, leadership training, and action plan development.
3. Collective Bargaining Services: Expert negotiation services for employers who have lost union elections or need to negotiate new CBAs. Services include budget billing and hard bargaining strategies.
4. Unfair Labor Practice Defense: Defense services against NLRB unfair labor practice charges, including dismissal strategy and litigation support.
5. Union Election Playbook Products: DIY campaign toolkit products sold in three tiers (Lite, Standard, Plus) with varying levels of consultation hours, materials, and support.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

NLRA is a labor relations consulting firm that helps employers remain union-free by managing NLRB union election campaigns, providing proactive union avoidance programs, negotiating collective bargaining agreements, and defending unfair labor practice charges. The firm sells full-service representation to employers facing union petitions and also offers a self-service Union Election Playbook product in three tiers (Lite, Standard, Plus).

Product overview

National Labor Relations Advocates (NLRA) offers a comprehensive suite of labor relations services designed to help employers remain union-free. The core offerings include Union Election Campaigns (consulting services to win representation elections), the Union Election Playbook (a tiered self-service toolkit in Lite, Standard, and Plus versions), the Labor Relations Enrichment (LRE) Program (a proactive three-phase avoidance approach), Collective Bargaining services, Unfair Labor Practice Defense, and assessment tools including a Union Vulnerability Risk Assessment and Cost of Unionization Calculator. The company operates on an employee model with background-checked advocates and emphasizes legal compliance and disciplined campaign execution.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Union Election Campaigns Full-service campaign management service helping employers win NLRB-conducted union representation elections. Includes a comprehensive review and analysis of potential issues, communication strategies and training for managers and supervisors, on-site strategy implementation, multi-touch communication processes, print and video materials, and ongoing training of leadership to avoid unfair labor practice charges. The firm claims a 90%+ win rate and provides a 24-hour response when retained.
• Union Election Playbook Self-service campaign toolkit for employers facing union petitions who plan to manage the campaign internally. Available in three tiers: Lite (1 hour consultation, campaign outline, talking points, 5 flyers, supervisor training guide), Standard (6 hours consultation, all Lite materials plus live supervisor training, daily strategy calls, 12-hour priority response, 10 flyers, $2,500 credit toward full-service upgrade), and Plus (12 hours consultation, all Standard materials plus 2-hour priority response, full flyer library, Union Opposition Research Packet, Post-Election Action Plan Report, $5,000 credit toward upgrade).
• Labor Relations Enrichment (LRE) Program Proactive union avoidance program using a three-phase methodology: (1) Investigate & Assess – anonymous surveys and in-person interviews to identify workforce concerns; (2) Analyze & Debrief – analysis of policies and interview data with leadership debrief; (3) Coach & Train – development of action plans and leadership training for ongoing employee engagement. Aimed at reducing the risk of union organizing before a petition is filed.
• Collective Bargaining Expert negotiation services for employers who have lost union elections or need to negotiate new collective bargaining agreements (CBAs). Services include good faith bargaining guidance, contract terms negotiation, and strategies to protect company interests and operational flexibility. The firm highlights a 20-50% projected cost increase in the first contract after unionization, and offers budget billing to protect employer cash flow.
• Unfair Labor Practice Defense Defense representation for employers facing NLRB unfair labor practice charges, with a focus on early dismissal through vigorous advocacy during the NLRB investigation stage. The firm notes a 60.5% dismissal rate of ULP charges in early investigation stages and highlights a case where both allegations against employer St. Gabriel (Veritas Senior Living) were dismissed after NLRA advocacy.
• Union Vulnerability Risk Assessment Free online assessment tool that evaluates a company's risk level across employee engagement, communication, working conditions, and organizational change factors to identify vulnerabilities to unionization efforts. Used as a top-of-funnel lead generation tool to qualify prospects for NLRA's consulting services.
• Cost of Unionization Calculator Free interactive calculator that estimates projected costs of unionization based on inputs such as annual revenue, labor costs, and number of employees, using Bureau of Labor Statistics wage data. Used as a top-of-funnel educational and lead generation tool.

Quantifiable outcome

• 90%+ win rate in NLRB union elections (compared to 63% national average for unions)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Better Business Bureau (BBB)minorOthersNLRA maintains BBB accreditation as a signal of trustworthiness and ethical business practices to prospective clients. The accreditation provides consumers with confidence in the company's services and dispute resolution mechanisms.
• American Bar Association (ABA)minorOthersProfessional association membership demonstrating adherence to legal professional standards and connecting the firm with the broader legal community.
• Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC)minorOthersTrade association membership providing industry credibility within the construction and contractor sectors, potentially generating referrals for NLRA services.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Jackson Lewis P.C. One of the largest U.S. labor and employment law firms, with dedicated practices in traditional labor law, including union election campaigns, collective bargaining, and strike management. Closely comparable to NLRA's core service lines but at significantly larger scale and broader geographic footprint.
• Seyfarth Shaw LLP: Full-service law firm with a substantial labor and employment practice handling union avoidance, NLRB proceedings, and collective bargaining for employers. Comparable service mix to NLRA but delivered as part of a large multidisciplinary firm with broader corporate practice capabilities.
• Littler Mendelson P.C. The largest labor and employment law firm in the United States, with a national practice covering union elections, collective bargaining, and unfair labor practice defense. Comparable to NLRA in the underlying service lines but operates as a full-service law firm with thousands of attorneys versus NLRA's boutique consulting model.
• Fisher Phillips: National labor and employment law firm representing employers in union-related matters, including organizing campaigns, collective bargaining, and labor litigation. Competes with NLRA for the same employer-side clients but offers a broader labor/employment portfolio across multiple offices.
• Ogletree Deakins: Major national labor and employment law firm representing employers in union avoidance, collective bargaining, and NLRB proceedings. Overlaps with NLRA's core service offerings but delivered through a 1,000+ lawyer platform with broader HR compliance and litigation capabilities.
• Akerman LLP: National law firm with a labor and employment practice representing employers in labor relations matters, including union organizing responses and unfair labor practice defense. Comparable to NLRA's core focus on employer-side labor advocacy but with broader corporate and real estate capabilities.
• Proskauer Rose LLP: Am Law 100 firm with a nationally recognized labor and employment practice representing employers in union elections, collective bargaining, and labor disputes. Comparable to NLRA in the underlying labor relations work but at far larger scale and with a broader corporate client base.
• Constangy, Brooks, Smith & Prophete LLP: Management-side labor and employment law firm with a strong traditional labor practice, including union election campaigns and collective bargaining representation. Comparable to NLRA's service offering but operating as a multi-office law firm with broader HR compliance capabilities.

Others

• Littler Workplace Policy Institute: Research and thought-leadership arm of Littler Mendelson focused on labor policy, unionization trends, and employer compliance. Comparable to NLRA in tracking and educating employers about the labor relations landscape, though it is a research/policy function rather than a direct service provider.

Direct peers

• Labor Relations Institute: Boutique labor relations consulting firm offering training and advisory services to help employers navigate union organizing, contract negotiations, and grievance handling. Directly comparable to NLRA as a non-law-firm labor relations consultancy serving the same employer-side customer base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/national-labor-relations-advocates-nlra-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about National Labor Relations Advocates (NLRA)