DOL Guidance Explains Two Paths to Unionize at Goldman Sachs

You have the right to join with coworkers to address conditions at work," the Department of Labor's Worker.gov guidance says, and it gives Goldman Sachs employees two principal paths to win collective-bargaining representation at a private-sector workplace. The guidance clarifies what organizers and management can expect if a union drive gains traction.

The first route is voluntary recognition. Under that path, employees may persuade an employer to recognize a union after showing "majority support by signed authorization cards or other means." Those agreements are negotiated outside the NLRB process, though "the employer and/or the union may notify the NLRB Regional Office that voluntary recognition has been granted." Voluntary recognition can produce faster recognition if an employer accepts majority support, but the guidance does not specify a numeric threshold beyond "majority support."

The second path is the NLRB election process, which is more formal. "To start the process, you must file an election petition with your local NLRB office," the guidance says, and organizers must first show that "at least 30% of the employees support your election petition, which is usually done with authorization cards or a petition signed by your coworkers." An NLRB agent will assess whether a vote is appropriate and "take steps to set the time, date, and place of a secret-ballot election." Elections may be held in-person, by mail, or a combination of both, and "if the union receives a majority of the votes cast at the election, the NLRB will certify the union as your exclusive collective-bargaining representative."

Practical organizing steps in the guidance emphasize workplace conversations and structure. Workers are encouraged to form organizing committees, gather signed authorization cards, and either contact an established union for support or create an independent union. The guidance also points employees and employers to online tools: "The elaws (Employment Laws Assistance for Workers and Small Businesses) Advisors are a set of online tools developed by the U.S. Department of Labor to help employees and employers understand their rights and responsibilities under federal employment laws."

The guidance materials include resource contact numbers for workers seeking assistance: for workplace safety and health call 800-321-6742; for mine safety and health call 800-746-1553; for Job Corps call 800-733-5627; and for Wage and Hour call 1-866-487-9243 (1 866-4-US-WAGE). One excerpt also lists 1-866-487-2365 without context. Reporters note the guidance pages carry a site notice: "This website is currently not being updated due to the suspension of Federal government services. The last update to the site was 10/1/2025. Updates to the site will start again when the Federal government resumes operations."

For Goldman Sachs employees, the guidance means a clear playbook: organize coworkers, collect authorization cards, weigh a voluntary recognition approach for speed versus the NLRB election for a formal secret-ballot route, and use DOL tools and hotlines for questions. What comes next will depend on whether organizers can build majority support and whether the firm chooses to recognize that support or contest representation through the NLRB process.