Labor Relations and Collective Bargaining

Paper Summary:

In this article, the writer explains that collective bargaining is a process by which wages, hours, rules and working conditions are negotiated and agreed upon by a labor union with an employer for all the employees collectively, which it represents. The writer discusses the matter of labor relations and collective bargaining. The writer notes that starting out as benevolent associations, which were ineffective in negotiating their work conditions with employers, labor organizations were empowered only after the passage of the Wagner Act in 1935. The writer concludes that, today, human relations officers and other experts know that unions are basic in certain industries and they must do their part in the negotiation table. Additionally, the writer concludes that company negotiating teams realize the value of developing a sincere, open and trusting relationship with the union representative, of keeping its word or commitment, of listening to the other side's concerns with sincerity and showing respect towards union representatives and employees in their dealings.

From the Paper:

"During unstable times in the 1800s, there was a clamor for the benevolent function of labor organizations as services and as a mechanism to keep the unions strong and stable. Benevolent associations evolved into effective bargaining agents, which mostly formed around a craft, like cigar making and carpentry. These associations generally administered or organized their own funds. Their services were important in gathering membership in labor organizations, which later became unions. Before the Wagner Act of 1935, organized labor was not too successful in bargaining for higher wages and fewer hours of work, as employers then had the upper hand in dealing with unions. Employers were not obliged to recognize unions or to bargain with them. Labor organizations of the 19th and 20th centuries confront membership problems precisely because of their lack of effectiveness as bargaining agents. Workers did not see it worthwhile to become members and pay union dues. Some even feared losing their jobs when jobs were scarce. It was the mutual-type of benefits, which kept members in a union. The death and pension benefits it offered strongly enticed membership despite its ineffectiveness in negotiating higher wages and fewer hours. Many of these associations became unions, which began to discuss wages, hours and the workplace within their structure."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Encyclopedia Britannica (2006). Wagner act. http://www.britannica.com/eb/artucke-9075846
• Gray, G. R. (1998). Collective bargaining agreements: safety and health provisions. Monthly Labor Review. US Bureau of Labor Statistics. http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1153/is_n5_v121/ai_21005996
• Medoff, J. L. and Mendelson, N. A. (1985). Unions of the past: labor organizations before collective bargaining. AFL-CIO American Federationist: AFL-CIO. http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1009/is_v92/ai_3784752
• Tyler, K. (2005). Good faith bargaining. HR Magazine: Society for Human Resource Management. http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3495/is_1_50/ai_n11841247

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