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Collective bargaining in labour markets
Unions and management
Unions and management
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1. Does the presence of unions increase the likelihood that management will be fairer and more consistent with employers?
Management is on the side of the employers, since many of those positions are unable to in the union (Huston, 2010, p. 294). If the manager holds a full-time supervisor position, then they aren’t eligible to join the union, which in turn may upset them when the union renegotiates their terms, and the nurses get better benefits. An example of this is that a floor supervisor can actually make less money than that of the floor nurse, and they don’t get any overtime pay (S. Smothers, personal communication, Fall, 2009).
There are two types of relations that unions can have with management; acceptance, and accommodation (Huston, 2010, p. 297). Since unions have realized that they don’t make progress when they are aggressive they try to use these tactics to help improve their relationship with management (Huston, 2010, p. 296 & 297). Acceptance is when management is willing to accept what the union is proposing, but is still hesitant, and apprehensive of them (Huston, 2010, p. 297). They sometimes feel as though the union is stepping on their toes sort of speak. With accommodation there is a mutual respect for one another, and together they can establish mutual goal (Huston, 2010, p. 297). Of course out of the both of these the unions would most prefer to have accommodation with management, since it would be much easier on them to deal with management.
Many times nurse aren’t included in bargaining for wage increases, benefits, staffing ratios, and therefore need to have unions represent them in these types of negotiations with management (Huston, 2010, p. 291). When issues where brought up to management by...
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American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME). (2011). The impact of collective bargaining. Retrieved from http://www.afscme.org/publications/2202.cfm
Huston, C. J. (2010). Collective bargaining and the professional nurse. In Professional issues in nursing: challenges & opportunities (pp. 287-302). Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
National Nurses United. (2010). Health Care employees RNs adopt national bargaining standards. Retrieved from http://www.nationalnursesunited.org/news/entry/health-care-employees-rns-adopt-national-bargaining-standards/
Rosenbaum, S. (2008, September-October). When worlds collide: public health and union rights in Virginia Mason Hospital v Washington State Nurses Association. Public Health Reports, 123(5), 664–666. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2496941/?tool=pubmed
As companies look to expand operations and hire new employees, many economic and environmental factors are taken into consideration. The cost of labor is one of the primary concerns as labor generally constitutes a large part of company budgets. The organization of labor by unions further increases this concern. The wages of unionized workers are significantly higher than the wages of nonunion workers in almost every industry (Fossum, 2012). Higher wages generally result in reduced company profits, lower share prices, and reduced shareholder returns (Fossum, 2012). Unionization also reduces the employer’s flexibility with regards to hiring, transferring, or promoting employees (Fossum, 2012). Productivity may be negatively impacted by unionization because merit is often eliminated as a criterion for wage increases or promotions (Fossum, 2012). As a result of these negative impacts, employers are motivated to oppose unionization.
Wallerstein, M. & Western, B. 2000. Unions in Decline? What Has Changed and Why? Annual Review of Political Science. 3: 355-377.
Unions have an extensive history of standing up for workers. They have advocated rights of steelworkers, coal miners, clothing factory employees, teachers, health care workers, and many others. The labor movement is based on the idea that organized workers as a group have more power than individuals would have on their own. The key purpose of any union is to negotiate contracts, making sure workers are respected and fairly compensated for their work. “In theory” unions are democratic organizations, resulting in varying inner authority. Workers look for security within a job a...
The paper will discuss minicases on ‘The White-Collar Union Organizer’ and ‘The Frustrated Labor Historians’ by Arthur A. Sloane and Fred Witney (2010), to understand the issues unions undergo in the marketplace. There is no predetermined statistical number reported of union memberships in this country. However, “the United Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) excludes almost 2 million U.S wages and salary employees, over half of whom are employed in the public sector, who are represented at their workplaces by a union but are not union members. Not being required to join a union as a condition of continued employment, these employees have for a variety of reasons chosen not to do so. Nor do the BLS estimates include union members who are currently unemployed” (Sloane & Witney, 2010, p.5). Given this important information, the examination of these minicases will provide answers to the problems unions face in organizational settings.
... of Labor Unions in Labor Markets. In R. C. Free (Ed.), 21st Century Reference Series. 21st Century Economics (Vol. 1, pp. 163-172). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Reference. Retrieved from http://go.galegroup.com.library3.webster.edu/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CCX1700400026&v=2.1&u=edenweb_main&it=r&p=GVRL&sw=w
Routson, J (2010) Healthcare Reform and Nursing: How the New Legislation Affects the profession; HEALTHeCAREERS.com. Retrieved, September, 16, 2011 from: http://www.healthecareers.com/article/healthcare-reform-and-nursing-how-the-new-legislation-affects-the-profession/158418
The disadvantages of union membership are viewed from the employee and employer perspective. Through the employee lens, the disadvantages manifest in the form of fees, loss of autonomy, and less collaborative work environment. As part of the union, you surrender many of your individual rights in exchange for the organized results that can potentially manifest through the collective bargaining process. Therefore, there isn’t any assurance that your individual concern will even be addressed.
Throughout American history, labor unions have served to facilitate mediation between workers and employers. Workers seek to negotiate with employers for more control over their labor and its fruits. “A labor union can best be defined as an organization that exists for the purpose of representing its members to their employers regarding wages and terms and conditions of employment” (Hunter). Labor unions’ principal objectives are to increase wages, shorten work days, achieve greater benefits, and improve working conditions. Despite these goals, the early years of union formation were characterized by difficulties (Hunter).
Unions traditionally were “a continuous association of wage earners for the purpose of maintaining or improving the condition of their employment” (Webb & Webb, 1894, as cited in Bryson, 2011b, slide 7). Their function was to campaign for compassionate management procedures, equivalent bargaining power between employers and employees, and for fairness and democracy to be initiated into the workplace (Bryson, 2011a). Union activity at this time tended to focus on nationwide bargaining for industrial groups (Geare, 1983, as cited in Haynes, 2005), with their role seen as wage bargainers and in...
Flanagan, R. J. (2005). Has Management Strangled U.S. Unions? Journal of Labor Research, 26(1), 33-63.
CBA  Collective Bargaining Agreements A collective bargaining agreement collectively sets the terms on which an employer offers individual work contracts to each of its employees in the bargaining unit. A bargaining agreement, also herein referred to as a labour agreement, is a legally enforceable written commitment, which states the rights and duties of all parties involved. The labour agreement should be made in good faith and is intended to be observed and not violated. The National Labour Relations Act obligates employers and unions to bargain in good faith concerning terms and conditions of employment, including hours and wages. Like any normal contract, competent parties must enter into a labour agreement.
Collective bargaining may happen in several kinds of fields, ranging politics to sports. It allows appropriate settlement of disputes and issues that benefit both parties involved, producing a result that is not one-sided. Collective bargaining is “the negotiation of wages and other conditions of employment by an organized body of employees” (Beal, Wickersham, & Kienast 5). Four issues that are probable components of a collective bargaining agreement are:
To briefly summarize, the report acts to identify nurses as an important faction in enabling access to high quality, affordable health care. This was supported by the development of four fundamental recommend...
The laws and regulations surrounding Industrial Relations since the 1900’s have, at each reform, placed tighter constraints on the amount of power unions are able to exert. The reforms have also radically increased managerial prerogative, through an increased use of individual bargaining, contracts and restrictions imposed on unions (Bray and Waring, 2006). Bray and W...
Management and Collective Bargain Process in the Public Sector, Using the events in Alameda City. Public Sector Administration Journal, 18, 120-178.