Longtime readers of MyBusiness are familiar with the topic that dominates the cover of the February/March 09 issue of MyBusiness—how Big Labor is trying to make it easier to unionize workplaces. The issue has always been there, but it’s always taken a backseat to all of the other issues that affect our readers’ ability to own, operate and grow their businesses. That’s because despite Big Labor’s efforts, they never could have convinced a majority of lawmakers—or the president—to pass their proposed card-check system. Until now.
The new Congress and president are focused on the economy and how to pull America out of a recession now, but NFIB expects them to turn their attention to card checks soon. Thus, our cover story—“Face Off: NFIB challenges Big Labor.”


In it, we shed light on an issue that would fundamentally change the way small business owners run their businesses and interact with their employees. We also preview the fight NFIB will wage on behalf of small business once a bill is formally introduced in the 111th Congress.
While reading about Big Labor’s efforts might make readers feel helpless, our second feature—“Good Deal Gone Bad: How to handle difficult clients, even in a tough economy”—will make them feel empowered. We talked to three small business owners who have mustered up the courage to walk away from business that they knew wasn’t good a fit for them, whether because clients were too demanding, never paid on time or didn’t treat their employees with respect. In today’s economy, small business owners are probably thinking they’d be crazy to turn away business, but we hope to show them that the power to choose is still theirs.