Strikes Unions and Collective Bargaining EVERYDAY RELATIONS BETWEEN

Strikes, Unions, and Collective Bargaining EVERYDAY RELATIONS BETWEEN EMPLOYEES AND MANAGEMENT CAN BE QUITE COMPLICATED. WHILE EMPLOYEES AND MANAGEMENT SHOULD BOTH WANT THE SAME THING (A HEALTHY, GROWING BUSINESS WHERE ALL TEAM MEMBERS ARE VALUED AND ADEQUATELY COMPENSATED), THIS IS NOT ALWAYS THE CASE. SOMETIMES EMPLOYEES ACCUSE MANAGEMENT OF NOT PAYING THEM WELL ENOUGH OR NOT GIVING THEM ENOUGH BENEFITS (SUCH AS HEALTH INSURANCE), WHILE MANAGEMENT CAN VIEW PAY RAISES AND INCREASED BENEFITS AS UNREALISTIC WHEN THE BUSINESS IS STRUGGLING TO COMPETE IN A GLOBAL ECONOMY. WHAT HAPPENS WHEN EMPLOYEES AND MANAGEMENT CAN’T SEE EYE TO EYE? HTTPS: //VBCOURSE. KNOWLEDGEMATTERS. COM/ASSIGNMENT/STARTREADING/132045

Bidding on jobs For a manufacturing company, the sales process begins with the invitation to bid, also known as the call for bids or invitation to tender (ITT). The invitation to bid is the process by which a company (such as a distributor or wholesaler) formally asks manufacturers to submit bids for a project. (A bid is a written document provided by the manufacturer in response to the invitation to bid. ) In other words, if a company or other organization needs manufacturing invitation to bid. ) equipment and/or related services, they’ll formally announce that fact in writing and invite qualified manufacturing companies to reply and tell the company how much they’ll charge to do the work. The most important point to note in the bidding process is that it’s based entirely on price, not on the bidder’s vision or counterproposal for the project. Unless otherwise noted in the not on the bidder’s vision or counterproposal for the project. Invitation to Bid, the work will be awarded to the lowest bidder. This is not the case with a request for proposal (RFP), where the lowest bidder may not get the contract because the company issuing the RFP is also seeking advice on how to move forward with the project, so specific subject-matter expertise is also taken into consideration when evaluating submitted bids. HTTPS: //VBCOURSE. KNOWLEDGEMATTERS. COM/ASSIGNMENT/STARTREADING/132045

Strikes A strike is a massive work stoppage. Usually this occurs when employees are dissatisfied with their working conditions, pay, and/or benefits (such as insurance and pensions). The purpose of a strike is to force management to come to or return to the bargaining table and create a new contract that employees judge to be more fair. Strikes are also known as work stoppages or industrial disputes. Strikes date back to at least ancient Egypt, where artisans went on strike because they hadn’t been paid (the authorities did eventually meet their demands). But strikes began in earnest during the Industrial Revolution in the 18 th century, when there was a great migration of people from the European countryside into urban factories and mines, where working conditions and pay were often poor. Some of these strikes turned violent, and not all were successful. HTTPS: //VBCOURSE. KNOWLEDGEMATTERS. COM/ASSIGNMENT/STARTREADING/132045

Strikes were once deemed illegal, but in recenturies workers in most of the Western world now have some legal right to strike, under certain conditions. In some sectors, such as law enforcement and firefighting, governments have not allowed workers to strike, citing public safety concerns. Former Massachusetts governor Calvin Coolidge once opined, “There is no right to strike against the public safety, anywhere, anytime. ” Striking workers typically gather outside their place of employment holding signs with proworker slogans and denouncing management. This is called picketing. The objective is to put pressure on management to address workers’ grievances, often by disrupting the normal course of business and drawing community and media attention to the plight of workers. Picketers encourage nonstriking fellow workers to show solidarity with striking workers by not reporting to work (and thus not “crossing the picket line”). Those who do workers by not reporting to work (and thus not “crossing the picket line”). cross the picket line and report for work are pejoratively referred to as scabs HTTPS: //VBCOURSE. KNOWLEDGEMATTERS. COM/ASSIGNMENT/STARTREADING/132045

Strikes are often seen as a last resort, after employees feel that negotiations with management have broken down. Sometimes they occur when a current employee contract management have broken down. expires, sometimes just before. Some strikes last days, while others last months. The length, as well as the success or failure, of a strike depends on a variety of factors: how replaceable the striking workers are, the speed at which the business needs to resume normal operations, the degree of public sympathy, the role of politicians in brokering an agreement, and ultimately how “reasonable” worker demands are. The strike is typically reserved as a threat of last resort during negotiations between the company and the union. In truth, strikes tend to be rare. According to the News Media Guild, 98 percent of union contracts in the United States are settled without a strike. HTTPS: //VBCOURSE. KNOWLEDGEMATTERS. COM/ASSIGNMENT/STARTREADING/132045

Unions were formed with the idea that there’s strength in numbers. They are based on the notion that a group of employees, standing together, have greater negotiating power with management than individual employees alone. The AFL-CIO, one of the largest unions in the United States, provides a succinct definition of a union: “Unions are about a simple proposition: By joining together, working women and men gain strength in numbers so they can have a voice at work about what they care about. They negotiate a contract with their employer for things like a fair and safe workplace, better wages, a secure retirement and family-friendly policies such as paid sick leave and scheduling hours. They have a voice in how their jobs get done, creating a more stable, productive workforce that provides better services and products. Always adapting to the challenges of our nation’s evolving workforce, unions are meeting the needs of workers in today’s flexible and nontraditional work environments. Because no matter what type of job workers are in, by building power in unions, they can speak out for fairness for all working people in their communities and create better standards and a strong middle class across the country. ” HTTPS: //VBCOURSE. KNOWLEDGEMATTERS. COM/ASSIGNMENT/STARTREADING/132045

Unions were also instrumental in bringing about the five-day workweek, introducing child labor laws, and pushing for increased workplace safety measures. For much of the 20 th century, when the United States was primarily an industrial economy, unions exercised considerable power. They wielded enormous influence in economy, unions exercised considerable power. industries like the automotive industry, based in Detroit. However, by the end of the 20 th century, the United States transitioned to a primarily service-based economy, while many of the millions of manufacturing jobs headed offshore to countries such as India and especially China. With the decline of America’s manufacturing base came a decline in the power and size of unions. At the end of 2012, only 11. 3 percent of all American workers belonged to a union, the majority in the public sector (6. 7 percent). This is in contrast to 35 percent private the majority in the public sector (6. 7 percent). sector unionization in the 1950 s HTTPS: //VBCOURSE. KNOWLEDGEMATTERS. COM/ASSIGNMENT/STARTREADING/132045

Unions There are two basic types of unions: private sector unions and public sector unions. Private sector unions comprise employees working for corporations, while public sector unions are made up of local, state, and federal government employees. There are several steps individuals can take to form a union: ◦ Learn about the most relevant unions ◦ Contact a union organizer, who will be able to assist you ◦ Talk to your colleagues about forming a union Workers can form a union through a secret ballot after a majority sign union authorization cards. Once the union is formed, the union will host regular worker meetings and also collect union dues. But even if the majority of employees in a company vote to form a union, federal law forbids employers and unions from creating so-called closed shops, where nonunion employees are prohibited from working or required to pay union dues. HTTPS: //VBCOURSE. KNOWLEDGEMATTERS. COM/ASSIGNMENT/STARTREADING/132045

Collective bargaining What is the primary purpose of a union? Many would say it’s collective bargaining. This is the process whereby unions negotiate with employers on behalf of the employees. These negotiations typically involve the following: ◦ Benefits, such as health insurance and vacations ◦ Working hours ◦ Overtime pay ◦ Job safety ◦ Flex time for working parents HTTPS: //VBCOURSE. KNOWLEDGEMATTERS. COM/ASSIGNMENT/STARTREADING/132045

Collective bargaining In ideal situations, collective bargaining is designed to create a workplace of happy employees and happy business owners focused on growing the business for the benefit of all. A collective agreement is the result of collective bargaining efforts. When employees all. and management can’t come to an agreement, they often resort to arbitration, in which an arbiter (mediator) works with both sides to resolve disputes and reach a compromise that is agreeable to both sides. If arbitration fails, union workers may leave their jobs and go on is agreeable to both sides. strike to demand management action. Alternatively, management may stage a lockout, in which unionized workers are prohibited from entering the building. HTTPS: //VBCOURSE. KNOWLEDGEMATTERS. COM/ASSIGNMENT/STARTREADING/132045

Key Terms Arbitration: A process by which workers and management work with a third-party mediator to resolve contract disputes. Collective bargaining: The process by which unions and management negotiate the provisions of a new contract, including benefits and pay. Collective agreement: The end result of collective bargaining, delineating worker benefits and management’s responsibilities. Dues: The regular payments due by union workers to the union. Picket line: A line created by striking employees outside their place of employment. HTTPS: //VBCOURSE. KNOWLEDGEMATTERS. COM/ASSIGNMENT/STARTREADING/132045

Key Terms Scab: A pejorative term used to refer to union and non-union employees who cross the picket line and report to work. Strike: An action in which unionized workers leave their jobs and refuse to return to work until certain demands are met by management. Union: An organized group of workers who bargain collectively with management in an attempt to get their demands met. Union organizer: An individual who helps employees organize a union at their place of work. HTTPS: //VBCOURSE. KNOWLEDGEMATTERS. COM/ASSIGNMENT/STARTREADING/132045