...Unionization 1 Unionization Tammy Overly Everest College Phoenix December 7, 2014 Unionization 2 The labor movement’s status has always been precarious due to America’s love-hate attitude toward organized labor. With the right-to-work laws coming to many states, it will be even more precarious than before. Right-to-work laws allow people to work at a unionized business without joining the union. Today, like a century ago, some citizen passionately believe that unions are crucial bulwarks of freedom, while others feel just as strongly that they are at best outdated and at worst an obstacle to progress. Labor is not merely a commodity, but a special part of the human experience; workers deserve a say in the working conditions of their labor; the right of workers to organize in their own self-interest is a basic human right. During the 1950’s the American economics professor Clark Kerr(2010) observed that “organized labor and management are primarily engaged in sharing between themselves what is, at any one moment of time, a largely given amount of income and power.” Kerr’s words point to the crux of labor history; this is a power game, who will rule the workplace? Some employers have taken the position that managers, as representatives of business owners, should have all the power. The rule of the workplace it that management...
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...management is a distinct management philosophy which emerged as a perspective to manage the human resources in an effective manner for the benefit of an organization. Last decade it had witnessed a great exploitation towards the employees in terms of the working hours, payment, and working condition which in turn resulted to the development of their representative group as an employee’s union. As per the article ‘The role of Unions or HR in workplace’ “Unions have been in existence since 1935” (Morreaux, 2013, par.4) when the national labor relation law was passed, which was the first labor relation law. Employee unions were primarily formed for the purpose of representing the employment problem before the management and engaged in “collective bargaining” (Morreaux, 2013, par.3) with the employers in order to protect the worker’s interest and prevent it against exploitation. The prime purpose and the most attractive feature of an employee union is the collective bargaining power. As per the article ‘The Role of Unions or HR in Workplace’, collective bargaining is rightly been quoted as “negotiation process” (Morreaux, 2013, par.3) between the representative of management or human resource department with the union representative in the area of matter concerning to the...
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...Labor Laws and Unions HRM/531 September 13, 2011 Professor Michael Weinsenberg, MBA. Labor Laws and Unions At a general level, the purpose of a union is to improve financial and other conditions of employment. Unions have flourished over the years in accomplishing these goals. More recently, they have experienced many challenges leading to membership losses. Currently unions are trying to reverse decline by placing workers in various industries such as casinos, museums, services. Several of positions include white-collar workers, physicians, nuclear engineers’ psychologists, and immigration judges (Cascio, p., 537, 2010). In 1943, TWU organized employees of the former Philadelphia Transit company. Local 234 won their first major victory for TWU outside of New York City. The local union was formed during the time of racial strife and the TWU stood by its record and strong dedication to racial equality to represent African American trolley operators. However, TWU local 234 represents more than 5,000 workers at the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation (SEPTA). Upper Darby Municipal and Eden’s Paratranist employees are included. Local 234 established a name for themselves by getting the job done at contact time. Therefore, the members show pride for the indispensable service they provide to their communities (www.twu234.org). One union that has proven its presence in the City of Philadelphia as well as nationwide branch is the Transport Worker Union...
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...Abstract The number of people working in the nonprofit sector has soared in America within the past 20 years. Even though memberships in unions have become stagnated, unions are increasingly targeting nonprofit employees to unionize. Unions are targeting nonprofits organization because sentiments about unions runs very strong in the for profit arena, and nonprofit employees are more in line with seeking what is fair and just. As the union tries to unionize We Care, as the Executive Director it is my responsibility to asset whether are not a union is the right thing for the organization. This paper will discuss the information that will be presented to the board based on my research on the whether or not We Care should unionize. In this paper the pros and cons of unionize will be discussed and ending with a recommendation on the whether or not to allow We Care to become a union shop to the Board. Unionize Yes or No? Introduction A considerable number of nonprofit staff members work in the field because they want to bring about change in their community and city. Many nonprofit workers coach and mentor the participants in seeking union jobs. It is through these avenues that they learn how unions can help increase wages and begin to wonder if a union would be a good thing in their organization. Some union such as the American Federation of State, County and Municipal and Service Employees international Union view recruiting nonprofit organizations to unionize as a...
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...Labor Laws and Unions Paper Unionization is a tool which protects the rights of employees within work environments. The ideas surrounding unionization are vast; however, the practice itself is not as customary. An organization that is known for unionization practices is the Ford Motor Company. Unionization within the Ford Motor Company is existent in part because of the company’s size. The purpose of this article is to provide background on the Ford Motor Company, identify legal issues and obstacles, discuss laws that may be broken in regards to legal issues and obstacles, provide litigation recommendations, outline the benefits of unionization, define the unionization process, and discuss union bargaining and its effects. Ford Motor Company: Background The Ford Motor Company is an automobile manufacturer responsible for the production of cars, trucks, sports utility vehicles (SUVs), commercial trucks, and auto parts. The company was found by Henry Ford in 1903 and is well-known as one of the largest automobile manufacturers. Another level of responsibility the Ford Motor Company has taken on is vehicle financing. The Ford Motor Company operations are extensive with branches in North America, South America, Africa, Europe, Middle East, and Asia Pacific (Ford, 2012). The company operates numerous plants worldwide and employees thousands of employees some of which are United Autoworkers (UAW). Legal Issues, Obstacles, & Broken Laws The Ford Motor Company is one of three...
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...Name of the Organization: United Auto Workers Union Brief background information Aside from the union that employs almost half the employees of the company I’m currently employed by, the only other union I am aware of that is still unionized is the International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America (UAW). The UAW website classifies the Union as "one of the largest and most diverse unions in North America, with members in virtually every sector of the economy. It represented workplaces ranging from multinational corporations, small manufacturers and state and local governments to colleges and universities, hospitals and private non-profit organizations". What's more, the Union "has more than 390,000 active members and more than 600,000 retired members are in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico". (UAW, 2012) Legal issues and obstacles that this organization could encounter In the beginning years of the union, the union was faced with work stoppages and strikes. These occurrences affected the output of a company, the worker’s salary and the economy in general. Determine which federal, state, or local laws could be broken because of these legal issues and why. Laws violated by wildcat strikes and work stoppages: The Norris–La Guardia Act (also known as the Anti-Injunction Bill) was a 1932 United States federal law that banned yellow-dog contracts, prevented federal courts from issuing injunctions against...
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...Increased demand for unionization could be a result in new legislation as well as new legislation could be the result of increased demand for unionization. For example, the congress passed Wagner Act to promote and protect workers’ abilities to unionize in the private sector if they choose so. On the other hand, if congress passed the Wagner Act in the interest of protecting the interest in unions for reasons other than labor demands there would be an opposite effect of increase for unionization. I believe labor law is more important when a demand for...
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...Labor Laws and Unions Paper Patricia Baskerville HRM/531 February 27, 2012 Professor Brian Frank Labor Laws and Unions Paper Unionization plays a critical role in protecting the rights of the employees within the workplace. In today’s economy, very few industries have unions such as manufacturing, education and healthcare. In this article, Ford Motor Company, an automobile industry has a large union mainly because of the size of the company. This article will discuss Ford’s motor company background, and its legal issues or obstacles the organization may encounter. In addition, this article will discuss Ford’s legal issues violation and possible recommendations to minimize litigation. Following, this article will discuss Ford’s benefit of joining a union and the process the organization took toward unionization, and the method the union uses to bargain. In closing, this article will discuss the effects union bargaining has on Ford Motor Company. Furthermore, Ford Motor Company union assisted with its operational processes by increasing its performance and production level. Background Henry Ford, the founder of Ford’s Motor Company developed this organization in 1903. Henry Ford’s objective was to create a company that is the leading automotive manufacturing company throughout the world. Ford Motor Company produces cars, trucks, commercial trucks, and replacement automobile parts. Ford Motor Company employs over 200,000 people including 170,000 employees and 40,000 United...
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...workers of the coal industry. Although unions have slightly dwindled in this century, many still exist. The increase in health care union organization in the last ten years has also increased. These include the Massachusetts Nurse Association, the National league of Nursing, United health care workers, and numerous smaller unions for hospital based employees. This topic is very interesting as it is a huge part of American history. It is expansive and involves numerous people who are historians of the union organization, and the changes it promoted in the industrial, and manufacturing industries. In Your Own Words Labor Unions: A union is an organization established by and for workers to pursue collective workplace goals: wages, benefits, work rules, and power. Unions arose after the Civil War as one response to modern industrial economy. Unions grew rapidly from 1930s-50s, and have shrank from 1960s-present. Workers have always disagreed amongst themselves over whether to have...
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...are many barriers when trying to attract and convince these garment workers to join a union. As this organization is made up of mostly female workers, the union will now be concerned with issues that they never previously had to including flex time, harassment, and day care (p. 23). Unions will also have to be mindful and create internal policies to ensure that women are adequately represented in union positions. With the garment workforce coming from such a diverse background and being fairly new to Canada, Phil may have to begin to deal with discrimination, harassment and accommodation issues (p. 23). If the majority of workers were part-time or younger, this could be a barrier as well. Younger employees may be less familiar with unionization and their rights, and more likely to quit in the face of employer opposition. However, if the workers are full time employees they may be less inclined to quit and more likely to support the idea of joining a union. Other barriers to convincing the workers to join the union are that the employees would lose certain things including a decrease in personal power/decision making, loss of the ability to work during a strike, loss of wages due to union dues, and loss of individual representation. Also, some unions support certain political parties and social causes that some employees may not agree with. Some employees may also not want to join a union because they may feel an obligation to the employer and may view joining a union...
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...of representing the entire workforce, with a greater chance of success. There are times when wages need to be raised to be equitable, but the power of the unions is that they can sometimes raise wages and benefits to unrealistically high levels. That is why, unions can guarantee neither the economic needs of wage and hour increases nor job satisfaction. The University of Dissension: 3 Outline Avoid Unionization: What steps would you take as a school administrator to resolve this issue and avoid unionization of the operating staffers? Imminent Unionization: If unionization appears imminent, what position and actions would you take to work through the process in the most collaborative and least disruptive manner? Subcontracting VS Union movement: Consider the labor force/supply in your area. Would sub-contracting and/or outside recruiting be a means to quell this union movement? The University of Dissension: 4 Avoid Unionization: What steps would you take as a school administrator to resolve this issue and avoid unionization of the operating staffers? When the company is taking dissatisfied directions, the employees of that company will...
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...strong role in the employment environment over the next 20 years? The Conflicting Roles of Unions, Management, and Government Overview The roles of unions, management, and government often have conflicting roles and goals concerning unionization and the workplace. Unions are champions of employee rights; they fight and negotiate for increased wages, ‘fair’ hours, and a safe working environment (among other things). The roles of an employer, however, include ensuring efficiency and productivity within their organization. Since the goals of unions and management differ, an inherent ambiguity exists regarding a ‘fair’ compromise between efficiency and terms of employment. Generally speaking, unions often request higher wages, more hours, or a safer workplace than the employer feels is necessary. The role of government in the unionized workplace is a complex one. On one hand, the government is a large employer and must strive to be both efficient and productive. On the other hand, a government represents its constituents and must protect their interests; the majority of constituents are also employees. Because of these two competing interests, our government must strive to act as fairly as possible when dealing with unions in the workplace. Unions Unions exist in a wide variety of industries across Newfoundland; these industries include airlines, medicine, fishing, and everything in between. These unions support employees by negotiating terms of employment, educating members...
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...As the work field continues to grow and progress, employees, especially those in labor positions, have begun to form and join unions. Unionization is the process to organize into a labor union and bring an organization to fall subject to the rules of a labor union. Employees pursue labor unions due to problems and issues maintaining equity amongst all employees. Achieving equity for the greatest number of the members drives a union’s interest. If employees, particularly labor employees, feel as if they are not being treated fairly and are not receiving the same benefits as all employees, their work morale will be low, reduced performance, reluctance to take on extra duties, and possibly, high turnover. Avery Dennison is a company that manufactures and distributes display graphics, labeling, and packaging materials, retail graphic embellishments and RFID tags for companies around the world to use to engage with customers and manage their inventories. Avery Dennison’s company bases range from apparel to transportation, architecture, and healthcare. Avery Dennison has approximately 25,000 employees; as a manufacturing and distribution organization, there is likely to be a large number of labor employees in its various locations. With such a large number of employees and labor employees, one can assume that if there is no union in place, it is possible for turnover to be high. In a research study, study shows “strong evidence that turnover is lower in heavily unionized industries...
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...Article Introduction: Causes, consequences and cures of union decline European Journal of Industrial Relations 17(2) 97–105 © The Author(s) 2011 Reprints and permission: sagepub. co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav DOI: 10.1177/0959680111400893 ejd.sagepub.com Alex Bryson NIESR and Centre for Economic Performance, London, UK Bernhard Ebbinghaus Universität Mannheim, Germany Jelle Visser Universiteit van Amsterdam, The Netherlands In 2000 the political leaders of the European Union declared that strong economic growth and advance towards a knowledge society, together with a high degree of social cohesion, would be the pre-eminent goals for the subsequent decade. A question never asked was what would happen, and what remedial action would be taken, should the conditions conducive to growth and the knowledge economy conflict with the political and institutional underpinnings of social cohesion. What if strong employment growth turned out to be founded on the destabilization of the standard employment contract, or if the advance towards a knowledge economy brought about a sharp rise in social inequality and polarization between skilled and unskilled workers and between those with and without stable jobs? Would trade unions be willing and able to counteract or attenuate such trends and bridge the differences between the new haves and have-nots? Or would they be marginalized, slowly but irreversibly, together with the stable employment relationships...
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...grows Wal-Mart’s business: * Service to customers * Respect for the individuals * Striving for excellence Wal-Mart’s culture is one of integrity, service and respect. This culture ensures customers are a priority, employees are valued and integrity is at the forefront of every interaction. This makes it a very attractive employer of choice. Wal-Mart has a history of advancement and provides many opportunities to succeed within the corporation. About 75% of store management teams started as hourly associates (www.walmart.com). This is an important retention practice for the multinational organization. It allows people with limited resources to come in at an entry-level and work their way up. Wal-Mart is a diverse workplace because of its dedication to diversity and inclusion. In 2006, Wal-Mart created the Employment Practices Advisory Panel to evaluate and guide employment practices along with diversity and inclusion initiatives (www.walmart.com). This dedication to diversity creates a brand that attracts and retains employees and vendors to the business. Determine How the Benefits May Contribute to the Success of Wal-Mart’s Employment Practices. Wal-Mart’s benefits are in-line with many employers. However, the...
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