CHAPTER 16 - LABOUR RELATIONS Flashcards
Labour union
officially recognized body
- representing a group of jobs practicing a similar trade/employed in the same company/industry
- presenting a collective voice in dealing with management
3 goals of unions
1) influence HR policies/practices that affect bargaining unit members (e.g. pay and benefits
2) achieve greater control over the jobs performed (e.g. job security, working conditions)
3) increase job satisfaction
Labour management relations
ongoing interactions between labour unions and management in organizations
Business unionism
- emphasis on economic and welfare goals
- want better economic and working conditions
Social reform unionism
- emphasis on influencing government social/economic policies
- lobbying
4 types of labour relations strategies
1) union acceptance strategy
2) union avoidance strategy
3) union substitution approach
4) union suppression approach
- 6 types of union security arrangements
1) rand formula - everyone must pay union dues but not everyone has to be in the union
2) closed shop - employer may only hire union members, common in construction
3) open shop - union membership is voluntary, non-members do not have to pay dues
4) union shop - employees must join the union as soon as they become part of the company
5) modified union shop - employees who were part of the bargaining unit when the agreement was signed do not have to join the union but must pay dues. everyone new must join the union.
6) maintenance of membership arrangement - employees who voluntarily join the union must stay in it for a certain period of time (the term of the contract)
3 characteristics that can be used to classify unions
1) type of worker eligible for membership
2) geographical scope
3) labour congress affiliation
- 3 union trends
1) global competition - can either negotiate concessions or let jobs go to lower cost countries
2) demographics - unions and management must increasingly work together to retain employees because the workforce is aging
3) unionization of white collar, service sector jobs - more unionization here because of health and safety, lack of job security
2 purposes of Canadian labour laws
1) provide a common set of rules for fair negotiations
2) protect public interest by preventing labour disputes from impacting the public
- 5 steps in the labour relations process
- desire for collective representation
- workers are dissatisfied and feel the need to unionize for their voices to be heard - union organizing campaign
- arouse interest to join a union and then begin the organizing process - union recognition
- 3 ways of recognition:
a) voluntary recognition
b) certification process
c) pre-hearing vote - collective bargaining
- process to establish a collective agreement between labour and management - contract administration
- begin this after the collective agreement has been negotiated and signed
3 reasons why employees join unions
(labour relations step 1: desire for collective representation)
1) dissonance based reasons - expectations do not match the job experience
2) utility based reasons - cost benefit analysis
3) political and ideological reasons
5 steps in the union organizing campaign
(labour relations step 2: union organizing campaign)
1) employee/union contact
2) initial organizational meeting
3) formation of an in-house organizing committee
4) the organizing campaign (need to sign an authorization card)
5) the outcome
- 10 signs of organizing activity
1) low employee morale
2) increased complaints
3) increased questions about policies
4) huddling but silence around supervisors
5) heated discussions, new relationships
6) shifts in employee’s popularity
7) new vocabulary
8) prolonged breaks
9) increased congregation after hours
10) increased exchange of paperwork
5 rights of employers regarding unions
1) express opinions about unions
2) state position on being non-unionized
3) prohibit union literature distribution (on company property and time)
4) increase wages, make promotions etc (as long as they would normally do this)
5) assemble employees to state company’s position
3 types of union recognition
(labour relations step 3: union recognition)
1) voluntary recognition - employer can voluntarily recognize the union
2) regular certification - minimum membership level then bring signed authorization cards to an LRB (labour relations board)
3) prehearing votes - if there was a violation of fair labour practices, can put unionizing to a vote before the hearing
3 stages of the collective bargaining process
and 2 additional stages
(labour relations step 4: collective bargaining)
1) preparation for negotiation
2) face to face negotiations
3) obtaining approval for the contract
additional stages:
1) third party assistance required
2) strike/lockout if reach a bargaining impasse
Distributive bargaining
- win/lose
- gains of one party achieved at the expense of the other
Integrative bargaining
- win/win or lose/lose
- joint exploration of creative solutions to common problems
- example: mutual gains (interest-based) bargaining
Memorandum of settlement
summary of agreed upon terms and conditions
Ratification
Secret ballot vote to approve the bargaining agreement
Conciliation
- intervention of a third party
- bring parties together and reach a mutually satisfactory collective agreement
- cannot make suggestions or impose a settlement
Mediation
- same as conciliation but meet with parties separately and then bring them together
- can make suggestions but cannot impose a settlement
Arbitration
- listen to evidence from both sides and make a decision
- often three person board
- 3 types of work stoppages
1) strike - refuse to work for the employer
2) boycott - ask everyone to stop going to the employer including customers
3) lockout - employees not allowed to enter workplace
1 type of unlawful strike/lockout
1) wildcat strike - not officially sanctioned by union leaders
5 provisions in a collective agreement
1) union recognition clause
2) union security clause
3) no strike/lockout provision
4) management rights clause
5) arbitration clause
2 major sources of disagreement between union and management
1) seniority
- unions like seniority, managers like ability/merit
2) discipline
- unions restrict right to discipline
4 steps in the grievance procedure
1) employee prepares written grievance
2) grievance is discussed by HRM and union steward
3) senior management discusses grievance
4) grievance is submitted to arbitration
