184 Reading: Working with Labor Unions
Unhappy Employees Could Equal Unionization
As the HR manager for a two-hundred-person company, you generally have a pretty good sense of employee morale. Recently you grew concerned because morale has dropped. Employees are unhappy because of pay and the increasing cost of health benefits. You discuss these concerns with upper-level management, but owing to financial pressures, the company cannot address the issue this year.
One afternoon, the manager of the marketing department comes to you with this concern, but also with some news. She tells you that she has heard talk of employees unionizing if they do not receive pay raises within the next few months. She says that the employees are very unhappy, and productivity is suffering as a result. She explains that employees have already started the unionization process by contacting the National Labor Relations Board and are in the process of proving 30 percent worker interest in unionization. As you mull over this news, you are concerned because the organization has always had a family atmosphere, and a union might change this. You are also concerned about the financial pressures to the organization should the employees unionize and negotiate higher pay. You know you must take action to prevent this development. However, you know that you and all managers are legally bound by rules relating to unionization, and you need a refresher on what these rules are. You decide to call a meeting first with the CEO and then with managers to discuss strategy and inform them of the legal implications of this process. You feel confident that a resolution can be reached before the unionization happens.
The Nature of Unions
A labor union, or union, is defined as workers banding together to meet common goals, such as better pay, benefits, or promotion rules. In the United States, 11.9 percent of American workers belong to a union, down from 20.1 percent in 1983 (“Union Members: 2010,” Bureau of Labor Statistics, US Department of Labor, news release, January 21, 2011, accessed April 4, 2011). In this section, we will discuss the history of unions, reasons for decline in union membership, union labor laws, and the process employees go through to form a union. First, however, we should discuss some of the reasons why people join unions.
People may feel their economic needs are not being met with their current wages and benefits and believe that a union can help them receive better economic prospects. Fairness in the workplace is another reason why people join unions. They may feel that scheduling, vacation time, transfers, and promotions are not given fairly and feel that a union can help eliminate some of the inequity associated with these processes. Let’s discuss some basic information about unions before we discuss the unionization process.
History and Organization of Unions
Trade unions were developed in Europe during the Industrial Revolution, when employees had little skill