Union
You are the top HR Manager for a company with 1500 employees. Your top management wants to stay union free. You have heard from a couple reliable sources that union organizing cards are being circulated among employees. Your boss is heading out the door and will be out for 6 weeks or more because of major surgery. He left you in charge of all HRM decisions. Your company has never faced a union organizing drive before and it is up to you to see that legitimate (founded) unfair labor charges are not filed against you. You also want to do all you can to persuade employees not to vote pro-union. Discuss how you will proceed. [Hiring a consultant is not an option. Your top management trusts you will steer them correctly but they want to keep fully informed.]
You think you know the reason for the union interest. Employees became very disgruntled when the company rolled out its plan to organize employees into teams, change job titles, work assignments and the pay structure. This happened about three months ago. Employees were told by your boss, "this is how it will be."
You already have supervisors asking you "What is the process for an employer to become unionized? How do we manage and supervise when a union organizing drive is going on? What can we say and do?"
A very outspoken supervisor has told you, employees and other supervisors that it is too late for the employer do anything. He says the best we can do is just ignore everything about unions that is going on."
Grossman, Robert F. (2008, Jan). Reorganized labor. HR Magazine, 53(1), 37-41. Retrieved May 16, 2010, from http://proquest(dot)umi(dot)com/pqdweb?did=1410107421&sid=14&Fmt=3&clientI d=29440&RQT=309&VName=PQD
Miletsky, R. J. (2008, Nov). What to do to avoid unions organizing your company's workers. Contractor's Business Management Report, 11(1). Retrieved May 16, 2010, from http://proquest(dot)umi(dot)com/pqdweb?did=1591191651&sid=5&Fmt=3&clientId =29440&RQT=309&VName=PQD
Redeker, J. (2008, Nov. 16). How to stay union free. Financial Week, retrieved May 16, 2010, from http://www(dot)financialweek(dot)com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081116/REG/31 1179995/1023/TOC
Wheeler, H. N. (2005, Jan/Mar). The Third Way. Business and Economic Review, 51(2), 6-8. Retrieved May 16, 2010, from http://proquest(dot)umi(dot)com/pqdweb?did=774827691&sid=8&Fmt=4&clientId= 29440&RQT=309&VName=PQD
Optional Materials
Chen, H. J.; Kacperczyk, M.; and Ortiz-Molina, H. Labor unions, operating flexibility, and the cost of equity. Retrieved May 16, 2010, from http://finance(dot)commerce(dot)ubc(dot)ca/upload/papers/FIN-2007-Chen_Kacp_Orti-7. pdf
Collectivization and confrontation. (n.d.). Retrieved May 16, 2010, from http://www(dot)hrmguide(dot)net/hrm/chap12/ch12-links1.htm#ch12col
Verma, A. (2005). What do unions do to the workplace? Union impact on management and HRM. Retrieved May 16, 2010, from http://www(dot)wallnetwork(dot)ca/resources/Verma.UnionImpactOnHRM.JLR2005.pdf
Schwartz, R. (2007, May). Navigating a Minefield: U.S. Workers and the Legal Right To Strike. Labor Notes,(338), 10-11. Retrieved May 16, 2010, from http://proquest(dot)umi(dot)com/pqdweb?did=1341920781&sid=6&Fmt=3&clientId =29440&RQT=309&VName=PQD
Stone, K., (2009). A labor law for the digital era. Employee Responsibilities and Rights Journal, 21(2), 145-161. Retrieved May 16, 2010, from ABI/INFORM Global (Document ID: 1701902941). Stone, K., (2009). http://proquest(dot)umi(dot)com/pqdweb?did=1701902941&sid=2&Fmt=6&clientId=29440&RQT=309&VName=PQD
Zachary, M. (2008, January). Labor law: Sorting out discrimination claims in a unionized setting. SuperVision, 69(1), 23-25. Retrieved May 16, 2010, from http://proquest(dot)umi(dot)com/pqdweb?did=1412236141&sid=21&Fmt=3&clientI d=29440&RQT=309&VName=PQD
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Running head: Union
Introduction
Labor unions can easily be described as legally recognized groups that represent workers in industries e.g. the police and teachers union. Labor unions were formed in order to look into matters affecting employees when it comes to terms of employment, wages, salaries, benefits, working conditions just to mention but a few. They play a major role in fighting for the workers rights and campaigns against misuse by employers. Most of the unions today are under larger umbrella organizations like AFL-CIO and change to win federation that were created in the year 1955. Later on change to win federation among other unions dropped out of the AFL-CIO in the 2005. Since then, observers say that there is more bark bite going on in organized labor unions that hinder the union’s efforts to move on and revitalize (John 1969).
The president of AFL-CIO Mr. John Sweeney was blamed because he failed in reversing the free fall of membership mostly in the private sector that had moved down from a 39% in the year 1953 workforce to 8% in the year 2005. Today a total of approximately 15.4 million people belong to different unions. The reason why employees form a union is because they are dissatisfied with the way the company is being run or some issues are not being addressed correctly.
As a HR manager, I prefer running a company that is union free. This is because my reputation and that of the company is at stake. In addition, I am responsible for any missteps that may arise. Remember that personal protection is your number one priority; this is owed to the fact that you will be sued and held liable for breaking federal laws. I will begin by doing an external and internal analysis (David 1981). This is done with an aim of identifying the weak spots as to why you are very vulnerable. Unions can either break or make you. I will also require the services of an expert. This is because I might be biased in my analysis, thus a neutral person to do the internal and external analysis should come from outside to avert biasness. We are not well equipped to handle issues to do with unions, thus an expert in that field is needed. As the manager, I will try as much as possible to treat my employees and employers with the utmost respect and dignity that they deserve. I will also be in the front line to campaign for the workers rights just to set an example. Sit down and ask yourself why do the workers want to have a union? More often than not, these issues are things that can easily be satisfied within the company. I will ensure that there is a proper channel of communication so as to give the employees room to express themselves. In addition, I will include them in the decision making process so that they feel like they have are being represented. Besides all the above, you have to ensure that supervisors treat employees equally and are not mistreated. Ensure all the disciplinary channels are correct, proper and are effectively running (John 1969). Give education to your supervisors so that they understand what they can or cannot say to employees in legal terms. Keep reminding your employees of the organizations employees-relations and stating clearly your position on unions.
Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) is an organization that allows unions to organize employees through the elimination of the secret ballot. The union would therefore present already signed cards that support unionization. This makes the company to fully recognize the union as a bargaining agent for the u...