Abstract This paper discusses laborrelations in the airline industry, noting how deregulation changed the nature of those relations and caused the airlines to seek more ways of cutting costs. This paper further discusses how 9-11 added to the costs for the airlines who were then forced to reduce salaries and divest pension plans, creating new tensions that have not yet worked themselves out.
From the Paper "Labor relations for some industries can be quite contentious, while for others accommodations are often made on both sides. The airline industry shows examples of both, and in general labor disputes in the industry show a pattern of change in recent years, with new forces at work and with many new concerns bringing in government action, including concerns about the effect of labor problems on safety in the light of potential terrorist acts. As von Nordenflycht and Kochan (2003) write, "even before the events of September 11, 2001, observers perceived strains in the industry's labor relations system, claiming that contracts were taking longer to negotiate, rank-and-file rejections of tentative agreements were more frequent, and job actions were on the rise."
Abstract This paper describes the unfair labor practices during the 1930s. The author relates, section by section, the 1935 National LaborRelations Act, also known as the Wagner Act after New York Senator Robert Wagner who backed it, which was passed to counteract some of these unfair labor practices such as child labor. The paper explains how the existence of the NLRA helped pave the way for many of the labor laws, which are taken for granted today, including the civil rights laws of the 1950s and 60s.
From the Paper "Section 8 of the NLRA listed, and prohibited, five unfair labor practices. Employers were prohibited from interfering with the employees union. This interference was interpreted as more than intimidation. Employers could not give conditions to any financial support they might offer. If they chose to contribute money or resources to the union it had to be with no strings attached.
Also, employers could not interfere with or restrain employees while they were exercise their right to organize or bargain collectively. Next, employers could not put conditions on employment, which could be interpreted to preclude or force union involvement."
Abstract This paper discusses the importance of the ratification of new contracts with union employees. It further discusses how the process should be accomplished in a timely manner with every party associated with the contract included in the negotiation process. The paper further stipulate that when management and labor do not agree to the full scope of the contract third party negotiators may be needed. Third parties selected must be capable of remaining neutral and listening to both sides of the argument in relation to the contract.
Abstract This paper relates to unfair labor practices that develop in corporations, contracts and professional athletic teams. The paper encompasses the National LaborRelations Board (NLRB) and why it disciplines and acts upon violating industries and associations. The composition examines five cases and one law review article. Through these cases, comparisons and dissimilarities between the disputing parties are investigated to demonstrate how the NLRB resolves these conflicts. In addition the cases are compared and contrasted to each other to explain how each individual case is unique in its unfair labor practice.
From the Paper "The NLRB is acronym for the National Labor Relations Board. The NLRB was formed in 1935 under the Wagner Act and it guarantees non-supervisory employees the rights to self organize, choose their own assembly, and bargain collectively. The National Labor Relations Board is an independent administrative agency authorized by the Wagner Act of 1935 to oversee the laws, to investigate and hold hearings on unfair labor practice complaints, to issue cease and desist orders against employers discovered guilty of unfair practices, to determine the composition of appropriate negotiation units, and to oversee union certifications and decertification secret ballot election."
Abstract The paper discusses laborrelations and the relative merits or weaknesses of certain collective bargaining agreements. The paper explains that when an employer and a union representative engage in a bilateral decision making process, it is termed labor contract negotiations, or more recently a collective bargaining situation. The paper relates that the effect of the collective bargaining agreements on major league sports in the United States has been very significant to all laborrelations. The paper offers a recent example of the uses of collective bargaining as was seen in the application of a contract for the players of the National Football League. The paper concludes that ultimately, the advent of the collective bargaining agreement within sports has been beneficial since it decreases the number of strikes and lockouts and keeps the players, owners and fans happy.
From the Paper "For many years, players of team sports were not considered to be workers who labored in a way that would be covered by the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). In fact, in 1922, the Supreme Court stated that baseball clubs were accepted from anti-trust regulations and this effectively thwarted any attempts by baseball players to unionize for even the most basic protections. What one must remember is that these sports teams, while generally only focusing on the players, have other employees and so sport protection came with the allowance of the baseball players to engage in collective bargaining in 1969."
Abstract This paper discusses the power of labor unions and their tactics.
The paper first explains that laborrelations are a natural outgrowth of labor unions that depict the relationships between the unions and management. The paper then discusses how it is in both labor unions' and managements' interests to cooperate and work alongside each other.
From the Paper "A labor union is a representative group that can bargain with management on such diverse issues as wages, working conditions, relations, and even health care coverage. They can also recommend to the union members certain actions be taken by the membership in order to influence the outcome of such bargaining. Unions are also known for the influence they wield in regards to politics and implementing or changing laws that affect their membership(s)."
Abstract This paper explains that companies can help protect themselves from unfair laborrelations accusations by having a clear human resources policy in place and always acting in good faith with employees, distributors, customers and suppliers. The author points out that the greatest economic problem in regards to discrimination in healthcare is the concern as to whether high management at many healthcare organizations are actually aware that many of their employees are not treating people equally when it comes to treatment, hiring practices, promotions and other issues. The paper relates that discrimination often is very hard to prove because there are ways to disguise it and make it look like something else; therefore, individuals discriminated against based on their race often have no recourse.
From the Paper "Strategy is a very important element in decision making, and an organization needs to know where it is going before it tries to go. Otherwise, it will often flounder because it had no specific vision for the future. Decision making is very closely tied to conflict, in that it is often groups that make the decisions for an organization. This is especially important for companies that are involved in fields such as technology, since this field is rapidly changing and decisions that could make or break a company are literally made on an almost daily basis."
Abstract The military policy of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" was developed to be a compromise between those who felt homosexuals should be allowed to serve in the military and those who wished them banned. However, due to multiple international conflicts, such as the war in Iraq, the Pentagon has issued a stop loss order for military personnel and the discharge of openly gay military members has, in many cases, been suspended, by simply ignoring claims of homosexuality or using the loophole that was devised to be able to retain members if needed. This paper examines the topic and shows that this hypocritical waffling is one of the military's biggest laborrelations issues that needs to be addressed immediately.
From the Paper "Although some gay servicemen have been discharged since the United States went to war in Iraq, cases such as Nguyen's and Hill's show that this is not always the case. Not only are military commanders not accepting simply a statement of homosexuality as proof, but also they are relying on the "for the good of the service" loophole to retain homosexual service members as well. As situations in other parts of the world intensify, such as Korea, Iran and Syria, and military troops are spread thinner, it is likely that the "Don't ask, don't tell" policy will continue to be overlooked and the built in loophole utilized more and more to retain all members of the service, no matter what their sexual orientation."
Abstract 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 laborrelations 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."
Abstract This paper examines how South Africa's unique cultural, socio-economic, and political situation imposes difficult challenges for laborrelations and human resource management. The paper explains that since the end of apartheid, the country has faced the problem of how to bring about substantive equality, including economic equality. The paper then looks at how the new South African government eschewed the redistribution approach, and instead opted to implement systematic and sometimes extreme forms of affirmative action. The paper also points out that a good example of the affirmative action policies the new South African government put in place is the Black Economic Empowerment initiative (BEE), which was established with the Broad Based Black Economic Empowerment Act in 2004. The writer believes that this initiative is a good one from a human rights perspective. However, from a human resources point of view, the challenge of this situation must be that artificially speeding up the promotion of people who have been systematically denied good education for so long, creates a danger that under-qualified people will be in management positions. The paper concludes that the problem of providing adequate training for people who have for so long been excluded from management positions is likely the biggest current problem facing human resources managers, as South Africa continues to change towards becoming a normal society.
From the Paper "However, despite such descriptions, this initiative does primarily aim to improve the economic lot of blacks - given that it is they who suffer most from inequality. It does this with measures such as legislation and regulation, which aim among other things to put more blacks in management. For example, there is the balanced scorecard, which assesses whether there is sufficient black ownership of companies, sufficient black senior management, sufficient black human resource development and employment equity, etc. These factors are imposed as codes on state bodies, public companies and foreign investment companies. How well companies do on the score card affects vital economic factors, such as whether they are awarded contracts (Alexander, 2004)."
Abstract This paper uses Marxism as a theoretical framework to discuss Vietnam and underpaid child labor. The paper explores the unique situation of Vietnam as the country attempts to improve its economic condition in an era of globalization and intensified competition.
From the Paper "Vietnam is in the view of many analysts a country within which state control and ownership of enterprises distorts the domestic business environment, creating a situation in which the political..."
Abstract This paper outlines some of the labor-related legal considerations that the human resource manager will face when dealing with the Maquila environment. In particular, it focuses on Mexico's labor law and its origins, the track record in the area of labor law enforcement, and just how grievances are handled. The paper also briefly reviews American labor laws. The paper uses endnotes.
Table of Contents:
section 1: Introduction
Section 2: History And Origin Of Mexican And U.S. Labor Law
Section 3: Laws Dealing With Labor Conditions In Mexico And U.S. Prior To Employment (Application/Interviews)
Section 4: Labor Laws Dealing With Working Conditions
Section 5: Labor Laws Dealing With Termination
Section 6: Conflict Of Laws
Section 7: Maquila Labor Law In Practice
Section 8: Cultural Considerations And The Labor Context
Section 9: Conclusions
From the Paper "For the Mexican workers employed by the American parent company in Mexico, however, the Mexican labor law is the sole concern. That is not to say that the Mexican worker cannot file a claim with the NAO in either the United States or Canada, but this has not been the case historically. The majority of claims have come from the two primary areas discussed above (employees' right to organize and discrimination/harassment of women). It seems, however, that the overly protective nature of the Mexican labor law system is rarely enforced due to the outcome of the NAO submissions dealing with those two areas (NAO submissions 9702 and 9402 discussed above)."
Abstract This paper discusses unfair labor practices and strategies to mitigate these practices. It reviews federal and state labor laws and the various categories of laws that they include. The paper also discussed labor unions and their use in combating unfair labor practices. Finally, the paper presents a case study of The Panera Bread Company and shows how it has embraced the active conformance to federal and state regulation regarding employment law and protection.
Table of Contents:
Overview
Labor Laws
Pay and Schedule
Safety and Health
Workers' Compensation Programs
Unions
Unions and Unionization
Unions and LaborRelations Employee Relations Unions as Relevant
Case Study
Conclusion
From the Paper "The restaurant industry is composed of two major segments: the full-service segment and the fast food segment. However, over the past decade a novel concept has quickly been developing into a new segment of its own: the quick-casual segment. The quick-casual is essentially a combination of the quick order and fast service of the fast-food segment combined with the quality food products found in the traditional full-service segment and the Panera Bread Company operates in this new segment. The quick-casual segment is a segment that produces over $6b a year in revenue and is growing in double digit percentages year on year ("Panera" Annual). As a new, major entrant in the quick-casual segment, the Panera Bread Company has found a niche market product in its "artisan" bread products and has grown its menu to include, in addition to its fresh bread, such items as: salads, soups, gourmet roast coffees, and other specialty type food and drink items ("Panera" SWOT)."
Abstract This paper explains that, in an effective relationship of laborrelations and management, the entities representing labor and management must not view one another simply as adversaries, but as potentially complementary parties in the pursuit of a common goal of agreement. The author points out that there are simultaneous but conflicting goals. The labor organization wishes to gain the best possible settlement for its workers, and management wishes to maximize profitability and cut costs. The paper contends that the multiplicity of interests is one reason that independent arbitration can be so valuable in helping the interested parties gain patience and willingness to make concessions in the face of seemingly insurmountable differences and obstacles.
From the Paper "An overview of some of the potential areas of conflict between an individual employee, employees as a collective, and the corporate entity as a whole belay such an easy resolution. Although quality and cost control may ultimately be the most important things to the consumers of products that create the need of manufacturing and thus generate jobs, this does not meant that every individual employee will be willing to sacrifice his or her vacation time or flexible pay, simply to increase corporate profits and maintain his or her job security. The individual decisions of workers thus come under the labor union's role of advocacy, even if in theory they may go against the collective of managerial desires."
Abstract This paper describes the relationship between worker motivation, or an individual's degree of willingness to assert and maintain an effort towards organizational goals, and employer-employee relations. It examines the relationship between these relationships within labor unions on group norms, conformity and group motivation, within the aspect of human resource management. In examining this relationship, the review of the literature includes a close analyses of five case studies.
Paper Outline:
Abstract
Executive Summary
Introduction
Background of Labor Unions in the US
The Costs and Benefits Analysis of Unions
Human Resource Management in Organizations
Work Group Management
Performance Related Pay and Organizational Performance
Employee Motivation
Review of the Literature
Five Stage Model of Group Development: Methodology Study
Motivation Theory
Content Theories
Process Theory: Cognitive Theories
Goal-setting Theory
Expectancy Theory
Non-cognitive Theories: Behavior Modification
Broad Application of Theories to Labor Unions
Work Groups
Methodology
Statistical Analysis/Studies
Case Study #1
Case Study #2
Case Study #3
Case Study #4
Case Study #5
Analysis of the Research
Bibliography
From the Paper "In a United States case study conducted by Sandra Black and Lisa Lynch, the relationship between workplace innovations and establishment productivity and wages was examined. Using both cross-sectional and longitudinal data, the researchers found evidence that high performance workplace practices were associated with both higher productivity and higher wages. The research revealed a positive and significant relationship between the proportion of non-managers using computers and productivity of establishments. The results were indicative that organizations that re-engineer their workplace and incorporate more high performance practices experience higher productivity. Profit sharing associated with increased productivity and employee voice has a large positive effect on productivity when it is done in the context of unionized establishments."
