chapter 12 - dealing with employees : management issues

the Wagner act of 1935 led to the growth of the congress of industrial unions ( CIOs) because of it

-allowed unions to strike and picket -prohibited unfair labor practices by employers -established the NLRB to oversee union elections

the noriss-laguada act of 1932 paved the way for union growth in the U.S. by

-allowing non-violent union activities -outlawing the use of yellow-dog contracts

organizations that have a better likelihood of healthy employer-employee relations are those tat

-develop policies and train workers in procedures to implement them -anticipate potential issues -are proactive in solving problems

employees and the public are frustrated by high levels of executive compensation because

-executives use company money for luxury "perks" -top-level executives are often rewarded whether or not the company is successful -the difference between the pay of executives and that of the average workers too large

bullying can be costly to employees because it

-increases turnover -reduce productivity -reduce employee morale

changes in public opinion have affected labor unions by

-influenced passage of laws to curb the power of management -the passing of laws to curb corruption in unions -prohibiting compulsive union membership

according to workplace bullying institute, what is bullying behaviors

-intimidating a co-worker by yelling at them often -calling a co-worker an unflattering name frequently at work -humiliating a co-worker by implying they are able to do the job

some of the major goals of labor unions are to

-represent its members in negotiations -improve working conditions for members -provide a unified voice for members

as a result of the industrial revolution

-there were large gains in productivity -technology replaced some workers -workers were expected to be much more productive

sexual harassment can be defined as

-verbal sexual harassment that creates a hostile environment -unwelcome requests for sexual favors -unwelcome sexual advances

what percent most accurately reflects the number of industrial injuries and fatalities related to alcohol abuse

40 percent

labor unions can legally authorize primary boycotts, but the

Taft-Hartley act prohibits using secondary boycotts

the Wagner Act established an administrative agency, the national labor relations board ( NLRB), to oversee labor-management relations -the NLRB consists of 5 members appointed by the

U.S. president and is authorized to investigate and remedy unfair labor practices -it also provides workplace guidelines and legal protections to workers seeking to vote on organizing a union to represent them

labor unions have declined in economic and political power as a result of

achieving many of their goals , increased global competition, and fewer manufacturing jobs

yellow dog contracts, made illegal by the Nortis Laguardie act, required employees to

agree not to join a labor union

a yellow dog contract required employees to

agree, as a condition of employment to not join a union

labor management relations act

amended the Wagner act; permitted states to pass laws prohibiting compulsory unions membership ( right to work laws); set up methods to deal with strikes that affect national health and safety; prohibited secondary boycotts, closed shop agreements, and featherbedding ( the required of wage payments for work not performed by unions). -this act gave more power to management

labor-management reporting and disclosure act

amended the taft hartley and the wagner act; guaranteed individual rights of union members in dealing with their union, such as the right to nominate candidates for union office, vote in union elections, attend and participate in union meetings, vote on union businesses, and examine union records and accounts; required annual financial reports to be filled with the US department of labor -one goal of this act was to clean up union corruption

a more extreme option used to resolve conflicts is abritaration,

an agreement to bring in an impartial third party- a single arbitrator or arbitration panel - to render a binding decision in a labor dispute -the abriator(s) must be accepted to both labor and management

the use of strikebreakers since then has been a particular source of hostility and violence in labor relations. -strikebreakers ( called scabs by unions)

are workers hired to do the jobs of striking employees until the labor dispute is resolved

unions use picketing in a labor dispute

as an informational tool and to alert the public to an issue

a lockout is an

attempt by management to put pressure on union workers by temprily closing the business

a grievance is a

charge by employees that management is not abiding by or fulfilling the terms of the negotiated labor-management agreement as they perceive it. -overtime rules, promotions, layoffs, transfers, and job assignments are generally sources of employee grievances.

the taft hartley act of 1947 made which union practice illegal

closed shop agreements and secondary boycotts

an injunction is a

court order directing someone to do something or to refrain from doing something -management has sought injunctions to order striking workers back to work, limit the number of pickets during a strike, or otherwise deal with any actions that could be detrimental to the public welfare.

the purpose of a strike is to

creatie a loss of income for the company in a labor dispute, reduce or stop production during a labor dispute, and attract public attention to an impasse in labor dispute

with many states and cities facing serious debt problems, government officals are trying to

cut costs, particularly labor costs -however, states with public-sector unions face limited ability to cut labor costs because of prior agreements with the unions -private unions will need to take on a new role in partnering with management in training workers, redesigning jobs, and assimilating the changing workforce to the job requirements of the new service and knowledge-work economy

in critical industries such as airlines and railroads, under the Taft-Harley act, the US president can ask for a colling-off-period

during which workers return to their jobs while negotiations continue, to prevent a strike -the cooling off period can last up to 80 days

a union is an

employee organization whose main goal is representing its members in employee-management negotiations over job-related issues

the Norris LaGuardia Act paved the way for union growth in the U.S. -this legislation prohibited

employees from suing employment contracts that included provisions such as a yellow dog contract

labor unions generally insist that a contract contain a union security clause stirpating that

employees who reap union benefits either officially join or at least pay dues to the union

agency shop

employers may hire anyone -employees need not join the union, but are required to pay a union fee -a small percentage of labor agreements are of this types

many states prohibit public safety workers ( police and firefighters) and teachers from striking, even they can be unionized. -when strikes are prohibited, public sector workers sometimes display their frustrations by

engaging in sickouts ( often called the blue flu) -that is they arrange as a group to be absent from work and claim illness as the reason

the industrial revolution brought

enormous productivity increases, gained through mass production and job specialization, that made the US an economic world power. -this growth though created problems for workers in terms of productivity expectations, hours of work, wages, job security, and unemployment

future contract negotiations will likely focus on

evolving workplace issues such as child and elder care, worker retraining, two-tried wage plans, drug testing, and other such work related issues. -jog security will remain a top union priority due to job losses from offshore outsourcing and free trade agreements

the old explanations of pay disparity between men and women are no longer valid becuase

fewer women leave the workforce for an extended and women are competing with men in more occupations and knowledge

in thoery, CEO compensation and bonuses are determined by the

firm's profitability or an increase in its sotck price. The logic of this assumption was that as the fortunes of a company and its stockholders grew so would the rewards of the CEO -today, however, executives generally receive stock options ( the ability to buy company sotck ata set price at a later ddate) and restricted sotck ( sotck issued q

certification is the

formal process whereby the NLRB recognizes a labor union as the authorized bargaining agent fir a group of employees

national labor relations act ( wagner act)

gave employees the right to form or join labor organizations ( or to refuse to form or join); the right to collectively bargain with employers through elected union representatives; and the right to engage in labor activities such as strikes, picketing, and boycotts -this act gave great impetus to the union movement

overtime, workers in businesses learned that strength through unity( unions) could lead to

improved job conditions, better wages, and job security

between the 1990 and 2030, the number of people who are over 65 is expected to

increase

critics of organized labor today believe that unions are no longer needed because

inhuman conditions no longer exist and the legal system protects workers

activities of the national labor relations board include

investigating labor practices and overseeing union electron campaigns

unions also attempt boycotts as a means to obtain their objectives in labor disputes. Boycotts can be classified as primary or secondary -secondary boycott

is an attempt by labor to convince others to stop doing business with a firm that is the subject of a primary boycott

mediation

is the use of a third party, called a mediator, who encourages both sides in a dispute to continue negotiating and often makes suggestive for resolving the matter

what is a frequent source of employee grievances

job assignments, layoff, and overtime rules

the wagner act expanded

labor's right to collectively bargain by obligating employers to meet at reasonable times and bargain in good faith with respect to wages, hours, and other terms and conditions of employment

management may implement

lockouts and injunctions and even hire strikebreakers

for a court to issue an injunction

management must show a just case, such as the possibility of violence or destruction of private property

under a contingency called agency shop agreement, employers

may hire workers who are not required to join the union but must pay a special unions fee or regular union dues

workers who use illegal drugs are associated with

more workplace violence incidents, higher on-the-job accident rates, and higher absenteeism rates

the effects of a prolonged strike often include

mutal complaints of violations of the contrast and continued open hostility between labor and management

unions also attempt boycotts as a means to obtain their objectives in labor disputes. Boycotts can be classified as primary or secondary -primary boycott

occurs when labor encourages both its members and the general public not to buy the products or services of a firm engaged in a labor dispute

the first truly national labor organization was the knights of labor, formed by smith Stephens in 1869

offered membership to all private working people, including employers, and promoted social causes as well as labor and economic issues -the organization fell from prominence, however, after being blamed for a bomb that killed 8 police officers during a labor rally

in the future, unions are likely to focus on which of thee issues

offshore outsourcing ; and child and elder care

the idea that people in jobs required similar levels of education, training, or skills should receive equal pay is known as

pay equity and comparable worth

critics of proposals to raise the minimum wage say that if it raised, many low-skilled would be

priced out of the market and unemployment will increase -union workers will earn more, whereas other workers may lose their jobs

norris laguarida act

prohibited courts from injunctions against nonviolent union activities; outlawed contracts forbidding union activities; outlawed the use of yellow dog contracts by employers

workers originally formed unions to

protect themselves from intolerance work conditions and unfair treatments, and also to secure some say in the operation of their jobs

the national labor relations act ( or wagner act)

provided labor unions with clear legal justification to pursue key issues that were strongly supported by Samuel Gompers and the AFL -one of these issues collective bargaining- a process whereby union and management representatives negotiate a contract for workers

during the contract negotiation process, there is generally a bargaining zone, which is the

range of options between the initial and that offers at each party will consider before negotiations dissolve or reach an impasse

strikes sometimes lead to the

resolution of a labor dispute; but they often have generated violence and extended bitterness. -often after is finally settled, labor and management remain openly hostile toward each other and mutual complaints of violences of the negotiated labor-management agreement continue

the Taft-Harley act recognized such agreements ( agency shop and union shop agreements) through

right to rule laws -in a right to work state, an open agreement gives workers the option to join or not join a union if one exists -a worker who does not join cannot be forced to pay a fee or union dues

fair labor standards act

set a minimum wage and maximum basic hours for workers in interstate commerce industries

negotiated labor-management agreement, informally referred to as the labor contract

sets the tone and clarifies the terms and conditions under which management and the union will function over a specific period. -unions attempt to address their most pressing concerns in the labor contract such as job security, pay and offshore outsourcing

in fact, the vast majority of grievances are negotiated and resolved by

shop stewards ( union officals who work permanently in an organization and represent employee interests on a daily basis) and supervisory-level managers -however, if a grievance is not settled at this level, formal grievance procedures will begin

the cordwainers ( shoemakers ) were a craft union, an organization of

skilled specialists to achieve some short-range goal, such as curtailing the use of unpaid convict labor instead of available workers who would need to be paid -often after attaining their goal, the union disbanded

unions primarily use

strikes and boycotts, as well as pickets and work slowdowns

much of the growth and influence of organized labor in the U.S. has depended primarily on two major factors

the law and public opinion

union shop

the majority of labor agreements are of this type -in a union shop, the employer can hire anyone but as a condition of employment, employees hired must join the union to keep their jobs

closed shop

the taft hartley act made this form of agreement illegal -under this type of labor agreement employers could hire only current union members for a job

open shop

union membership is voluntary for new and existing members -those who don't join the union don't have to pay union dues -few union contracts are of this type

Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO)

union organization of unskilled workers; broke away from the American Federation of Labor (AFL) in 1935 and rejoined it in 1955 two groups formed the AFL- CIO -the AFL- CIO today maintains affiliations with 55 national and international labor unions and have about 12.5 million members

an industrial unions include which of the following

unskilled workers, skilled workers, and workers in a specific industry

The American Federation of labor ( AFL), leader: Samuel Gompers

was an organization of craft unions that championed fundamental labor issues -it intentionally limited membership to skilled workers ( craftspeople), assuming they would have better bargaining power than unskilled workers in obtaining concessions form employers -as a federation, its many individual unions can become members yet keep their seperate unions status

as the number, of private-sector union members grew, workers gained more negotiating power with managers and more political power

were largely responsible for the establishment of minimum wage laws, overtime rules, workers' compensation, severance pay, child-labor laws, job safety regulations, and more

an unauthorized AFLA group called the committee of industrial organizations began to organize industrial unions,

which consisted of unskilled and semiskilled workers in mass-production industries -such as automobile manufacturing and mining -john l lewis led committee. His objective was to organize both the craftspeople and unskilled workers under one banner

after passage of the Wagner act, unions sought strict security in the form of the closed shop agreement,

which specified that workers had to be members of a union before being hired for a job

desertification is the process by which

workers can take away a union's right to represent them

a strike occours when

workers collectively refuse to go to work. Strikes have been the most potent union tactic -they attract public attention to a labor dispute and can cause operations in a company to slow down or totally cease. -strikers may also picket the company, walking around carrying signs and talking with the public and the media about the issues in the dispute -unions also often use picketing as an informational tool before going on strike.

today, unions favor the union shop agreement, under which

workers do not have to members of a union to be hired but must agree to join within a prescribed period

the benefits organized labor has won for workers include

workplace safety laws and minimum wage laws