03. Facilities

3.1 List all facilities, locations, and operations.
3.2 What is the status of each company property? Are they owned or leased?
3.3 List any industrial development funds or other public monies used in construction, renovation, or purchase.
3.4 What is the value of their major facilities?

Com­pil­ing an inven­tory of the company’s facil­i­ties is cen­tral to under­stand­ing a firm’s oper­a­tions. Cou­pled with an under­stand­ing of their prod­ucts and ser­vices, it allows you to geo­graph­i­cally map out their activ­i­ties.  It is cru­cial in devel­op­ing a cam­paign to understand which facilities are responsible for which kinds of products/services. In what may be the first example of corporate research in the labor movement, in 1936 the UAW identified that GM was making body parts in only one plant in Flint, Michigan which became their strike target.   If any pub­lic monies are involved in build­ing or ren­o­vat­ing facil­i­ties, it raises the pub­lic pro­file of the tar­get firm con­sid­er­ably. What may have been an issue with a pri­vate com­pany now becomes a pub­lic issue.

Information on facilities is located in Item 2 of the company’s Form 10-K Report available from the SEC’s EDGAR database.

You should also consult the company web site and the company annual report. Firms often provide detailed lists and locations of their facilities.

You can find information on industrial development funds or other public monies in the sources above, or by using a general news search.  Good Jobs First Subsidy Tracker provides a listing of types of public subsidies. Good Job First also provides detailed information on which firms received COVID-19 subsidies with the COVID Stimulus Watch. 

The AFL-CIO maintains the UNICORE database which includes information on corporate facilities, their location, if they are unionized, and information on the union. This database is only available to AFL-CIO affiliates.

In addition to identifying the location of facilities, you can find property values online in most states. Search Systems and BRBPub provide access to state databases that will link you to the assessor’s or deeds office in local communities. Records often include detailed information on building permits and the cost of renovations. In communities where this information is not available, you will need to go to the courthouse, deeds, or assessor’s office.