Union "Salting" - Yes, it's legal, and yes, they count
One of the challenges for unions seeking to organize workers is to get "inside organizers" with regular access to employees. A solution to this problem is the practice of "salting", where a union sends in an organizer or two to get hired by the employer – sometimes these organizers are salaried employees of the union, and sometimes they are just out-of-work union members. Sometimes they receive pay for engaging in the organizing activity, sometimes they don't. The practice is especially common in the construction industry.
Salting drives many employers mad. Additionally galling to many employers is the fact that the "salts" may actually count as members of the bargaining unit, when determining the percentage of support that the union has among the employees.
