Running head: HRMN 362 ASSIGNMENT 3 LABOR RELATIONS
HRMN 362 Assignment 3 Labor Relations
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HRMN 362 ASSIGNMENT 3 LABOR RELATIONS
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HRMN 362 Assignment 3 Labor Relations
It has been said that "a company that deserves a union gets one," suggesting that if proper
leadership and motivation techniques are employed and desirable policies devised, the
workers will not want to unionize. Either agree or disagree with this philosophy. Support
your position and explain what a company could do to create an environment where
workers will not want to unionize.
Response
I do agree with the rationale that the issue of a union would only arise with employees in
response to management not treating them right. In a company where workers feel that the firm
is not treating them right then ideas of joining unions starts arising. The workers may feel that
the kind of pay being offered is too low compared to the hard conditions they are being subjected
to. The workers may also have low morale, and this fault might be blamed on the employees, so
it’s true that company gets unions because they deserve it. If such companies treat they workers
fairly, care for them and invest in them, then the mentality for unions would never arise.
How to make employees work for the company and not go against
The first step is sharing gains and pains with the employees. This mostly occurs when
companies are faced with an impending decision of cutting back on cost by reducing the number
of employees. Rather than downsize a company can opt to share the profits across the board this
way the company makes a little sacrifice but gains by retaining it, employees. Getting to help
employees with their personal problems such as worrying about daycare allowing the employees
to have a flexible schedule will help them solve the problem. Creating a culture of consistent
growth, every employee should grow along with the company (Peng, 2010). Employees who do
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not want to grow should be replaced by those who want to grow. I believe organizations should
make it a habit of communicating vision and mission of the company to the employee. A
constant notification of what is going on in the company can do more good than harm. Union
leaders can be a pain in the ass so companies should do everything in their power to ensure that
they employees are satisfied with their working conditions and that the compensation they are
receiving is fair.
Unions have declined as a percentage of the workforce in the private sector. With this
decline, have career and workplace dissatisfaction and alienation increased? If so, why is
this so? If not, why not? Support your position.
Response
In recent decades, the power that Unions used to have has considerably declined. In the
United States, it is estimated that only 12% of all employees are union members with 8% being
government employees. Is it the changing composition of the workforce or are private
company’s hostility towards unions the reason for the decline of union membership? Unions
have always served to ensure that workers are treated fairly and well paid. Union simply gives
employees a voice to speak as one and air their grievances. In the past, Union was valued and
vibrant in advocating for the rights of the employees.
The explanation for the decline in union membership can simply be put as a union are no
longer productive like they used to be. The reason unions worked in the private sector in the past
industries that were heavily unionized had few large firms that required similar labor. Such firms
were at liberty to sell their product at a high cost to recover the cost of production due to
monopoly. However, with the arrival of new competitors in the market with low-cost products
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the playing field changed. The Internet and digital technology did not make things easier. Private
companies were forced to either adapt or close down. Nonunion firms began performing better
and gaining a bigger market share than union firms. With time, Fear led most private firms and
their employees from joining unions (Bennett & Kaufman, 2002).
Another reason there is a decline in labor membership in the private sector is because the
union leaders are unable to organize the private sectors unions despite their creative campaigns.
The number of people working in the private sectors is to huge for union officials to sit down and
organize a strike they did in 1937 when there were just 47,000 workers only. Therefore, the
decline in union membership have not affected people careers nor increased workplace
dissatisfaction. What I believe is that impact of the decline would only be felt by the widening
gap in income inequality.
List and discuss some of the advantages and disadvantages in using seniority as a factor to
determine shift preference or overtime assignments.
Response
The term seniority in the workplace is used to refer to the length of time an employee has
worked for an organization. Seniority gives employee precedence over other employees.
Employers use seniority to grant job benefits and fulfill employee expectation. Seniority differs
among companies moreover rights and privileges given to employees who have served the
company longer also differs depending on the company. Managers have often used seniority in
deciding which employees to promote or layoff (Robbins et al, 2003). When making such
consideration of lying off employees it is wise to let go the new workers first to avoid facing
lawsuits from employees who have worked in the company for longer.
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Advantages
Using seniority as a factor to determine shift preferences will play a great role in
rewarding loyalty this will encourage new employee to stick around longer so as to enjoy similar
benefits in the future. Senior members have high experiences and knowledge and thus deserve
preferences when it comes to shift or overtime assignments. Moreover, such employees require
less supervision when working overtime.
The disadvantage of using such a system to make a decision is that it make it hard for
other employees to move up the ladder. Moreover, using seniority to determine who gets a
certain task would mean that an expert who is a new employee might be denied the opportunity
to work on overtime assignments. Shift preferences and working on overtime assignments is in
some organization seen as a reward on performance. Using seniority system might prevent
rewarding performance. Using the system is the same as saying one has to achieve seniority
before he or she can be considered for promotion. Generally, I believe the use of the system to
determine shift preferences or who gets overtime assignments slows career growth.
Identify two different steps a company should take to prepare for its first round of
bargaining with the union pre-negotiation activities. Explain why each of the steps you
have identified is critical to achieving an initial successful collective bargaining agreement
with the union.
Response
Before facing the union, a company should take the following two pre-negotiation steps:
the first step is appointing the team that is going to be doing the negotiations. The second step is
Formulating and researching a proposal and a bargaining range (Holley, et al, 2012).
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Step 1: Appointing the Negotiation Team
A company management ought to select the team on the basis of perceived need for the
team member skills and experience. In simpler words, this means that the management will have
to select a supervisor whose duties in the organization involves supervising the bargaining unit of
the employees. As a team member, the supervisor on behalf of the company will either answer
negotiating issues or bargain on issues related to work operations that are done on daily basis.
The importance of this step is that it plays a crucial role in negotiations of ensuring the special
interest of the company is considered during collective bargaining. Additionally, the step ensures
that the terms settled represent the interest of major constituent groups. Moreover, it ensures that
settlement reached have a high probability of being approved or accepted by a greater number of
the union members. When appointing the team that is going to take part in the negotiations, the
representative can be selected a certifying authority from outside or through a referendum.
Step 2: Formulating and Researching a Proposal and a Bargaining Range
The aim of this step is to identify a possible bargaining subject and at the same time a
likely settlement outcome. In collective bargaining, a company relies on several sources to
establish the union possible bargaining goals in the negotiation of contracts. Moreover, this step
is meant to predict the outcome because it is likely that the company had met earlier, and the
proposal might be used as a starting point to the current negotiations. Furthermore, by reviewing
the proposal, the management gets an insight of national union convention proceedings.
These two pre-negotiation steps help a company to gather the formal information that the union
officials are likely to use. Thus, the selected team has ample team before the union officials
arrive of analyzing complaints aired before at the company and determining how to respond.
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References
Bennett, J. T., & Kaufman, B. E. (2002). The future of private sector unionism in the United
States. Armonk, N.Y: M.E. Sharpe.
Holley, W. H., Jennings, K. M., & Wolters, R. S. (2012). The labor relations process. Mason,
OH: South-Western Cengage Learning.
Peng, M. W. (2010). Global business. Mason, OH: Cengage South Western.
Robbins, S. P., Odendaal, A., & Roodt, G. (2003). Organisational behaviour: Global and
Southern African perspectives. Cape Town: Pearson Education South Africa.
HRMN 362 Assignment 3 Labor Relations
Select and respond to any four of these six topics:
1. It has been said that "a company that deserves a union gets one," suggesting that if proper
leadership and motivation techniques are employed and desirable policies devised, the workers will not
want to unionize. Either agree or disagree with this philosophy. Support your position and explain what
a company could do to create an environment where workers will not want to unionize.
2. Some means of resolving negotiations impasses involve economic weapons (e.g. strikes and
lockouts). There are other means of impasse resolution that do not involve the use of economic
weapons (e.g. fact finding, mediation, med/arb/interest arb, etc.). Select two (2) non-economic means
of impasse resolution, 1) explain how each one functions and 2) discuss the relative pros and cons of
each.
3. Unions have declined as a percentage of the workforce in the private sector. With this decline, have
career and workplace dissatisfaction and alienation increased? If so, why is this so? If not, why not?
Support your position.
4. List and discuss some of the advantages and disadvantages in using seniority as a factor to determine
shift preference or overtime assignments.
5. Identify two different steps a company should take to prepare for its first round of bargaining with
the union pre-negotiation activities. Explain why each of the steps you have identified is critical to
achieving an initial successful collective bargaining agreement with the union.
6. Identify and explain the major ways in which the government is an important participant in the labor
relations.
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