Organized Employee Relations TMB Ch' 15

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Organized Employee RelationsTMB Ch. 15
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Warm Up.

• What has been your experience with unions?
• Why dont more people join unions?
• What is the best way to avoid unionization?
• In your opinion, does unionization really make a
  difference in the workplace?

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Histories Mysteries..

• Labor Wars -
• 1932 Collective Bargaining
• 1935 NLRA, aka Wagner Act, NLRB
• ULPs for employers
• Interfere with, restrain, coerce employees in
  exercising their legal right to organize.
• Dominate or interfere with the formation or
  administration of a labor organization.
• Discriminate with regard to hiring to
  en/discourage membership in a union.
• Discharge/discriminate against an employee
  because they file an ULP.
• Refuse to bargain collectively with the
  employees duly chose rep.
• 1947 Taft Hartley Act
• 1959 Landrum-Griffin Act
• ULPs for unions-
• Coercing or restraining employees for purposes of
  bargaining.
• Coercing or attempting to coerce an employee to
  discriminate or discourage.
• Refusing to bargain in good faith.
• Engaging in certain strikes, boycotts, etc.
• Exacting excessive or discriminatory fees or
  dues.
• Causing or attempting to cause to pay or deliver
  any money or thing of value for services not
  performed.

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Management vs. Unions?

• Q Is there such a conflict? What is your
  experience?
• Management Union always out to disagree with
  management.
• Union Management is a profit center, not
  willing to address employees needs.

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Why Join a UnionWhat Do They Promise?

• Join for
• Economic advantages and security.
• Inhumane treatment leads to unions? Really?
• Lack of assurance of continued employment.
• No effective open-door, complaint avenue,
  grievance policy.strong chain of command!
• Promises..Promises
• We promise better working conditions!
• Job posting systems that give you a chance!
• A good complaint system thats in your favor!
• Upward mobility!

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Union Terminology

• Certification-
• Election used by NLRB to determine w/n a union
  will represent employees.
• Recognition-
• 30 of workers sign recognition cards, an
  election will follow.
• Certification (Election)-
• 50 1 majority, can vote union representation
  into the company.
• Decertification-
• Majority can vote out the union.
• Deauthorization-
• Employees petition NLRB to not allow the union to
  force dues payments.
• Shop Steward-
• Elected by workers, representative for a specific
  group of workers.
• Still an employee of the company.
• Listens to employee complaints and gives to
  management.

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Grievance 101

• Management must have a clear understanding of the
  issues.
• Management should know the union folks, policies,
  structure.
• If suspicious, that can affect the degree of
  success at the table.
• Negotiators should know where they will bend and
  not. Alternatives?
• Usually involves steps
• If not solved, becomes a written grievance. Not
  solved?
• Union and management meet to discuss. Not
  solved?
• Top management from company and union meet. Not
  solved?
• Mediator, however, not a binding decision.
• Arbitrator, looks at the facts, conciliation, and
  its binding.
• Much can go into these later steps.

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How Do We Avoid Grievances?

• People become unhappy because of unresolved
  issues, ignored problems!!
• As managers and group leaders, get results
  through people
• Let each person know how theyre doing. Let them
  know what to expect.
• Help people by pointing out how they can improve
  and help them!
• Give them credit! Reward!
• Express unfair policies to your boss, not the
  employee.
• Communicate changes!....get them involved.no
  surprises!
• Empower and delegate to staff..helps them grow.
• Ask for their ideas, encourage them to help.

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Enter The Darkside.

• Strikes..PicketsBoycotts.

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Bad Times.

• Primary Strike-
• Sympathy Strike-
• Sit-Down Strike-
• Slowdown Strike-
• Wildcat Strike-
• Jurisdictional Strike-
• Primary Picket-
• Mass Picket-
• Boycotts-

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Management Counters

• Lockouts-
• Layoffs-
• Injunctions-
• Yellow-Dog Contracts-
• Blacklisting-
• Q What do you think of the battle?

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Okay, So How Do We Avoid All Of This?

• Manage fairly.
• Communicate!!!! No secrets!
• Dont intimidate, interrogate, overpromise,
  threatenfear factor, chain of command.
• Just be aware of what is happening in the
  workplace..signs.
• Recognize what your actions say.
• Improve quality of work life, schedules, comp,
  self-fulfillment.
• Employee involvement.
• Build cooperation! Generate a spirit of human
  relations.

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Lets Practice

• Break Into Your Groups
• Turn to page 324 of TMB
• Case Study 15-1
• Firehouse Union
• Answer The Questions
• Be Ready To Present In Class