HRM450 Assignment Choice #2: Exploring Federal Legislation and Relations
Colorado State University Global
HRM450 - Employment Law: Compensation and Policy
This is a two-part assignment where you are expected to address Parts 1 and 2 in one well-developed short report. In the report (consider using a memo format), identify and explain the legal requirements involved in union organizing, within the context of the organization where you work or an organization with which you are familiar.
Part 1:
There are a number of federal agencies charged with oversight of labor law in the United States. The importance of these agencies to the area of labor law cannot be overestimated. In the first part of your report—from the standpoint of a union organizer at the organization you selected identify the federal agencies, and then explain what each does and how they apply to the labor relations process.
If the organization does not currently have a union, discuss Part 1 from the perspective of an HR director. Identify the federal agencies, and then explain what each does and how they would impact the labor relations process at the organization if it does decide to unionize.
Part 2:
There are several significant pieces of federal legislation that require study because of their impact on organizations today. Among these are the:
Railway Labor Act
Norris-LaGuardia Act
Wagner and Taft Hartley Acts (as amended)
Landrum-Griffin Act
Civil Service Reform Act, Title VII
In light of your response to the first part of this assignment, critically evaluate each piece of federal legislation in a few sentences. Then briefly discuss why they are important to the labor process at the organization you selected, and include insights the organization can still glean from the legislation.
Your paper should be four to six double-spaced pages in length (not including title or reference pages), , adhere to the CSU-Global Guide to Writing and APA Requirements, and include a minimum of three credible sources (which can include the course readings). The CSU-Global Library is a good place to find these sources
Exploring the Federal Legislation and Labor Relations
Name:
Institutional Affiliation:
To: The Coca-Cola Management
From: The Union Organizer
Date: 24/10/2016
Subject: Exploring the Federal Legislation and Labor Relations
The labor unions play a significant role in the collective bargaining of working conditions, benefits, and wages for its members. Additionally, the group represents their members in cases of disputes with the employer concerning contract provision violations. Various federal agencies are charged with the labor law oversight responsibility. These include the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), National Mediation Board (NMB), and Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA). Another agency is the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service’s (FMCS). In Coca-Cola’s case, the NLRB and the FMCS agencies apply as they deal with the private sector.
National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).
The NLRB consists of general counsel and five-member board that controls the activities of the agency. The NLRB seeks to protect the right of the employees in the private sector with the aim of improving their working conditions and wages. The agency enforces laws that strive to protect employees against certain union and employer misconduct. The National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) stipulates these rights that the NLRB protects (Hegji, 2012). The employees cannot be penalized, suspended or fired for being part of a protected group event. Also, the agency conducts secret elections to install unions.
The NLRA rules have a direct impact on the labor relations procedures in Coca-Cola. The law forbids the employers from coercing, refraining or interfering with the employees’ rights forming, joining, organizing, or assisting a union. Additionally, the labor organizations should not pressurize or constraint the exercising of these rights. The Coca-Cola Company hence has to allow the employees to form and take part in any union and its activities with the aim of protecting their rights. The various unions including the Teamsters should not be influenced to coerce employees from practicing their rights. And the organization must recognize the unions approved by the NLRB as the employees’ representative agents.
Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service.
The government introduced the FMCS to act as a neutral intervention to avoid or reduce the impacts of disputes on the economy. The FMCS offers the arbitration services to both the public and private sectors. The agency gives the services to parties that have reached a negotiation impasse; the body provides resolutions to disputes between an organization and the labor unions. The agency has the role of mediating in a case where the employer and the union fail to agree on the collective bargaining of the employee. The aim is to ensure that enhanced collaborative problem-solving approach to eliminate cases of work stoppages (FMCS.gov, 2014).
The FMCS can be employed by the Coca-Cola Organization in cases where negotiations have hit a snarl. For the company to improve its productivity, competitiveness, and innovativeness, a constructive bargaining and labor management is crucial. The agency also will help the organization deal with issues at an early stage to prevent the occasion of conflicts between the union and the employer.
The understanding of the legislation acts enacted over the years is crucial to get useful pieces that the Coca-Cola Organization can utilize. These include the Norris-LaGuardia, the Wagner and Taft-Hartley, Landrum-Griffin, Civil service reform, and Railway Labor Acts.
Norris-LaGuardia Act
The law was enacted in 1932 with the purpose of stopping anti-labor injunctions (Goldman, Corrada, & Goldman, 2011). Before the establishment of the act, courts would issue picketing or strike orders forbidding the employees from getting involved in these activities. Section 2 of the law asserts that no court should enjoin a person(s) participating in a labor dispute from striking, joining a union, picketing or peaceably assembling. Section 7 outlines the procedures that the courts ought to follow when handling injunction cases.
The Norris-LaGuardia Act applies to the Coca-Cola Company and the ability of its employees to get involved in the events stated in Section 2. The law clearly explains the rights that the employees of the organization have in undertaking the activities of labor disputes. Any employee can participate in strikes, picketing or join a ...