1. From the scenario and the e-Activity, examine two (2) reasons why employees join labor unions, Examine two (2) reasons why organizations prefer that unions do not represent their employees. Suggest two (2) benefits that unions can provide for an employer. Justify your response.
Collective bargaining acts as an effective mechanism that enables unions to negotiate favorable working conditions for employees. The latter individuals have a right to set up a union with members who voice their concerns to the employers within an organization ( Hayter, 2015 ). This is necessitated by factors such as the need for additional pay, or matters that are likely to affect the work environment. Unions are, therefore, critical to workers within any business.
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There are a number of factors that motivate employees to join labor unions. An employee may feel compelled to join a union in the event that they feel dissatisfied with their employer. In most cases, employees indicate that their superiors are not eager to respond to their complaints and hence necessitating them to join unions which can represent them ( Aidt & Tzannatos, 2002 ). In addition to this, it may occur the workers may end up having a low morale whenever the management is slow to respond to their plight. As a result, they end up joining unions hoping for a speedy process.
It is also evident that a majority of organizations do not prefer the unions to represent their workers. This is due to the fact that unions are capable of forcing them to pay higher wages to the employees, and they are not also effective when there is competition ( Hayter, 2015 ). Secondly, when it emerges that there are so many demands, there is a high likelihood that this may have an effect of destroying the business ( Kirchner & Kremp, 2018 ). Some government requirements also require that business seek the services of labor unions; a condition that does not appeal to the management.
It is also possible that unions can be beneficial to the organization. There are a number of benefits that a union can provide for a business. For instance, there is a lower turnover for business with unions compared to those without. As a result, the business spends little or no costs at all in regards to training and thus ends up acquiring workers who are competent. Secondly, unions lead to increased productivity and promote community reinvestment ( Aidt & Tzannatos, 2002 ). They are, therefore, not only disadvantageous but also beneficial to the workers.
2. Examine two (2) legal responsibilities that employers have when dealing with labor unions. Suggest two (2) ways in which management and unions might work together to craft mutually beneficial contracts. Provide a rationale for your response.
There are a number of legal responsibilities that employers have when dealing with unions. One involves the idea that the employer is required to be observant in regards to the mobilization of workers by unions since once they have managed to convince employees, he is bound by the law not to approach the latter individuals when seeking to reach a compromise ( Kirchner & Kremp, 2018 ). Secondly, the employer is bound by the law to offer benefits such as unemployment insurance to laid off workers. Besides, the employer is required to employ workers without regard to race. There are, however, a number of ways that the employer can reach a compromise with unions as will be demonstrated below.
Both parties are capable of bargaining in good faith. This means that in light of negotiations, both the employer and union will not create barriers. This is one way that the parties are likely to create a mutually beneficial contract. Secondly, the employer has to consider the terms of the agreement before arriving at a compromise. Some employers fail to listen to what has to be said by the workers and instead refuse to give in thus resulting in more problems.
References
Aidt, T., & Tzannatos, Z. (2002). Unions and collective bargaining: Economic effects in a global environment . Washington, DC: World Bank.
Hayter, S. (2015). Unions and collective bargaining. Labour markets, institutions, and inequality: building just societies in the 21st century, Cheltenham, Edward Elgar Publishing , 95-122.
Kirchner, J., & Kremp, P. R. (2018). Unions and Collective Bargaining. In Key Aspects of German Employment and Labour Law (pp. 243-256). Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg.
