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Labor Management Relations In the video, Understanding Labor Relations and Collective Bargaining, Don Carty, CEO of American Airlines expresses the frustration that many executives in a union environment face, labor costs. Mr. Caty announced executive retention bonuses within hours of convincing union members to wage and benefit concessions in order to save the airline from bankruptcy which did not go well with the unions. Unions are there to protect workers and set rules. Unions have many benefits for workers but also have many drawbacks for companies. They do bring about better wages, better benefits, a safer work environment, and stability and seniority benefits. Employees usually fight for unions when they feel they are being treated …show more content…
Caty comments that the cost structure is higher than revenue and most likely the Airline is taking other preparations as well. They could also be looking at commissions, materials, and overhead costs. In the video he states that cost isn’t bigger than the revenue premium. He states that you must identifies those process, service, and product that aren’t contributing to revenue premium. Then, focusing on those that are and aren’t contributing will help keep costs low. He wants to be able to find a better way to conduct labor relations. Looking at factors that are driving up costs and not benefitting customers need to be stopped. It will take a strategic plan to look at the value of all services and then see how to save from there. Being able to cut costs in services and then use that for wages is a great idea. However, the company is already close to bankruptcy so needs to cut costs all around. “While it is possible to squeeze higher productivity by packaging work more efficiently, the benefits achieved by doing so can often be outstripped by higher expenses in other areas, such as overtime rates, hotel costs, and daily allowances (per diems) (Krishnam, …show more content…
They include Interference, restraint, or coercion, Employer domination or support of a labor organization, Discrimination on the basis of labor activity, Discrimination in retaliation for going to the NLRB, and refusal to bargain. Basically an employer cannot try and persuade an employee to not unionize, interfere with any labor organization or encourage or discourage a membership. It must be up to the employee to make all his or her decisions when it comes to the union. This is a way to protect themselves and not have disruption in the workplace. An employer will be held in violation if it refuses to provide information, withholds information, or discriminate in any way towards the
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.
Throughout the history of the United States of America the continuation of misfortunes for the workforce has aggravated people to their apex, eventually leading to the development of labor unions.
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...
Beginning in the late 1700’s and growing rapidly even today, labor unions form the backbone for the American workforce and continue to fight for the common interests of workers around the country. As we look at the history of these unions, we see powerful individuals such as Terrence Powderly, Samuel Gompers, and Eugene Debs rise up as leaders in a newfound movement that protected the rights of the common worker and ensured better wages, more reasonable hours, and safer working conditions for those people (History). The rise of these labor unions also warranted new legislation that would protect against child labor in factories and give health benefits to workers who were either retired or injured, but everyone was not on board with the idea of foundations working to protect the interests of the common worker. Conflict with their industries lead to many strikes across the country in the coal, steel, and railroad industries, and several of these would ultimately end up leading to bloodshed. However, the existence of labor unions in the United States and their influence on their respective industries still resonates today, and many of our modern ideals that we have today carry over from what these labor unions fought for during through the Industrial Revolution.
... and gone, thrived and waned, but have always worked for employees. Unions brought democracy to the workers by having their voices be heard and participation in company organization. Unions give employees a democratic workplace and legislation was passed to protect workers during a strike. As imported goods rose and companies fled the northern states to the South or overseas, the union has found itself waning as their wage demands never ceased and wages increased to the extent companies could not compete with oversea competition.
After the Civil War, many ideologies developed into the United States of America. Some of these ideologies included the free labor ideology and the producerist ideology. Free labor endorsed the belief that by removing slavery, or any other kind of barrier, everyone had an equal chance to try to get wealth (Farless). The producerist ideology tried to stay to the customary view of society and it stressed the importance of viewing the community instead of an individual (Farless). With these two ideologies, they had an impact on labor. By believing in the producerist ideology, people would be staying with tradition, and that leaves no change for our world. Many laborers wanted change, which led to problems for the laborers.
Labor Unions have had an effect of American history as well as world-wide history from the time they became popular. Following WWII Americans were predominantly pro-labor, however, as time went on union’s credibility fell short of perfect. Union strikes proved to be bothersome to both the general public and company. Unions were also suppressing to employees through fraud and lack of worker rights (in earlier years, before Acts were passed). Although Union labor had its shortcomings, this type of labor is noted to be the most productive and economically beneficial. With both sides shown, I feel Unions will again thrive in the future with a few key adjustments made.
Labor unions were established as a way for workers’ needs and grievances to be heard by management. According to Fossum (2012), “forming a union creates a collective voice to influence change at work” (p. 7). The collective voice of workers in a union holds much more power than any single employee’s voice. It can loudly draw attention to mistreatment or abuse of workers. The organized collective voice of workers demands to be treated in a fair way by its management in terms of wages, hours, benefits, and working conditions.
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.
Since the terms and conditions of employment is a broad subject, the NLRB has regulated what subjects are considered mandatory in the collective bargaining process. The court have also general upheld the issue of mandatory subjects in the collective bargaining process be as broad as possible. This allow each individual issue to a violation of unfair practices to be decided on a case by case basis. Employers must also agree to meet with the labor union at a reasonable time as part of its duty to bargain in good faith. If there is a non mandatory or permissive issue determined by the NLRA then employers can refuse to meet and negotiate with the labor about these subjects. Permissive subjects do not have to be in the labor union contract so refusal to negotiate will not be considered an unfair labor practice by management. The Supreme Court has narrow the criteria of whether or not the subject is mandatory or not. The first test is whether or not the issue is obviously significant to the work environment (Petersen & Boller,
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).
On October 22nd, 1962, President John F. Kennedy delivered the famous "Cuban Missile Crisis Address to the Nation" speech in response to Nikita Khrushchev’s act of placing nuclear and flying missiles on the island directly south of the United States: Cuba. The purpose of the speech was to alert the nation of the situation and inform them on how it would be handled. This speech successfully won the attention and respect of the American and Russian people through the use of multiple rhetorical devices.
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 is the process in which employers and unions undergo a series of negotiations that include terms and typical of collective bargaining where both parties concur to conditions of employment. These conditions may include wages, hours, and working conditions (Budd 229).