Exam 12: Dealing With Union and Employeemanagement Issues

In the early years, there were power struggles among the larger national unions. Leaders recognized that there was power in numbers. After the passage of the Taft-Hartley Act in 1947,

Mini-Case The workers at Endrun Corporation are not affiliated with a union. Until recently, the workers felt they were well paid and treated fairly by the company, so they had little interest in seeking union representation. However, worker morale at Endrun has declined steadily since the board of directors fired the old CEO last year and replaced him with Ty Runt, a no-nonsense, autocratic manager with a reputation for cutting costs. As soon as he took over, Ty fired other members of the old top management team and replaced them with people who shared his views. Together, the new management team made a series of moves that did not sit well with Endrun's workers. First, they announced changes in work procedures designed to speed up the production line. Many workers complained that the new methods cut corners and were unsafe, but management refused to listen. A few months after changing work methods, the company told workers that it was reducing their health benefits. This led to even greater worker unrest. Finally, just a few weeks ago, workers received word that the wages of all production line employees would be cut by 6 percent. Many employees felt this was the last straw, especially since the company's board of directors recently approved big salary increases and more lucrative stock option plans for Ty and his management team. A spokesperson for the board explained that the raises were justified because of the management team's "outstanding efforts to reduce costs, increase productivity, and improve the company's profits." Several disgruntled employees, led by Ima Striker and Boyd Cotter, now believe it is time to obtain union representation. Top managers at the company have hinted that workers who actively participate in the union campaign may be among the first workers laid off if the company decides to downsize. Ima and Boyd are not intimidated by these management threats. "I wish we didn't have to do this," Ima recently told many of her fellow workers at the plant. "But someone has to stop Ty Runt and his team from ruining our jobs." -The steps Ima, Boyd and their fellow workers must take to get the union legally recognized as the authorized bargaining agent are parts of the process.

Under the provisions of the Taft-Hartley Act, the president can ask for a(n) to prevent a strike in a critical industry.

Historically, the strengthened the labor unions, while the supported management's efforts.

Mini-Case The workers at Endrun Corporation are not affiliated with a union. Until recently, the workers felt they were well paid and treated fairly by the company, so they had little interest in seeking union representation. However, worker morale at Endrun has declined steadily since the board of directors fired the old CEO last year and replaced him with Ty Runt, a no-nonsense, autocratic manager with a reputation for cutting costs. As soon as he took over, Ty fired other members of the old top management team and replaced them with people who shared his views. Together, the new management team made a series of moves that did not sit well with Endrun's workers. First, they announced changes in work procedures designed to speed up the production line. Many workers complained that the new methods cut corners and were unsafe, but management refused to listen. A few months after changing work methods, the company told workers that it was reducing their health benefits. This led to even greater worker unrest. Finally, just a few weeks ago, workers received word that the wages of all production line employees would be cut by 6 percent. Many employees felt this was the last straw, especially since the company's board of directors recently approved big salary increases and more lucrative stock option plans for Ty and his management team. A spokesperson for the board explained that the raises were justified because of the management team's "outstanding efforts to reduce costs, increase productivity, and improve the company's profits." Several disgruntled employees, led by Ima Striker and Boyd Cotter, now believe it is time to obtain union representation. Top managers at the company have hinted that workers who actively participate in the union campaign may be among the first workers laid off if the company decides to downsize. Ima and Boyd are not intimidated by these management threats. "I wish we didn't have to do this," Ima recently told many of her fellow workers at the plant. "But someone has to stop Ty Runt and his team from ruining our jobs." -Ima, Boyd, and their fellow employees at Endrun work on an assembly line and do not have a specialized skill. If they are successful in their quest to set-up a union, they would probably be represented by a(n) union.

In some European countries, companies practice co-determination. For example,

Since violence in the workplace rarely results in severe injury, it is likely not to be much of a problem in the future.

Employees were striking at the London Met University last year. Very few students were crossing the picket line. In fact, the city's postal employees refused to deliver mail there claiming that they were honoring the strike for their fellow service union members. The Postal employees were participating in a voluntary secondary boycott.

Bob believes that management is treating him unfairly because of his efforts to organize a vote for union representation. Which organization should Bob contact to report his concerns?

Many companies do not provide any formal training for dealing with prevention of violence in the workplace.

Once a union is certified to represent a group of workers, decertification is not a consideration or future possibility.

During the 1980s, unions became increasingly concerned with the issues of:

Harassment that creates an intimidating, or offensive work environment falls under the type of sexual harassment known as a(n):

According to information contained in the "Reaching Beyond Our Borders" box in Chapter 12, U.S. unions,

The number of households that face the burden of caring for one or more elderly parents has increased significantly over the past decade.

Labor unions and management hope to resolve issues through collective bargaining. Each side comes to the table with a range of options they are willing to consider - some more appealing than others. All options that each will consider fall within the .

A card check is a method of openly soliciting signatures in favor of the organization of a union.

Last week, Angie was approached by two of her coworkers during the lunch break pressuring her to sign a card check in favor of organizing a union. The card check is currently a NLRB (National Labor Relations Board) approved method of finalizing unionization.

From a work-related perspective, elder care providers may require as part of their job.

The initial objective of the American Federation of Labor (AFL) was to provide union membership to workers in all industries.