Collective bargaining is the cornerstone of labor relations in America today and allows workers of various backgrounds to effectively negotiate fair employment. Beginning in the summer of 2015, contract negotiations began between Verizon, and employees affiliated with the Communication Workers of America (CWA) and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) unions. This dispute affected thousands of workers, and both sides remained steadfast in their efforts for close to a year (Richardson, 2016). The collective bargaining process for Verizon, CWA, and IBEW resulted in one of the largest and longest strikes in the last decade, and Verizon also holds the spot for the second largest strike in last decade which occurred in 2011 (Pressman, 2016). These large strikes in response to failed or drawn out negotiations can affect many areas of labor relations including workers, businesses, and consumers. Collective Bargaining Dispute The collective bargaining dispute between Verizon, the CWA, and the IBEW was a long and grueling process for all parties. Considering the multiple disagreements between the unionized workers and Verizon, and influences from external forces, it is no wonder a resolution was severely delayed. Nearly 40,000 Verizon employees are unionized under the CWA and the IBEW, and these workers held 27 separate collective bargaining agreements which expired in August of 2015 (Richardson, 2016). The collective bargaining process between Verizon, the
Organized labor began to rise as the business tycoons and big business owners, "…took advantage of this lawless environment to build fortunes, destroy reputations, exploit both workers and the environment, and gouge consumers" (Shi &Tindall 620). Such acts by the business tycoons prompted many workers to demand higher wages, better working hours, and safer working conditions. As the turn of the 20th Century approached, factories started emerging, and technological innovations since, "The U.S. patents office, which had recorded only 276 inventions during the 1790's, registered almost 250,000 new patents in the 1890's" (Shi &Tindall 622). The inventions led to the advancement of machines in factories as they reduced labor costs, lowered the production costs of certain goods, and essentially creating a widespread mass production of goods. As most individuals began to notice, unfairness among their workplace, they included themselves in certain labor unions including the Knights of Labor (KOL), Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), and the American Federation of Labor (AFL). All three groups had different beliefs: the Knights of Labor included all members whether skilled or unskilled in their group; the AFL rejected Capitalism and focused on working conditions—as they were successful in organized labor; and lastly, the IWW strived for strong industrial unions or Unionism.
Every year in this country, there are major labor disputes that result in strikes or work stoppages. In each case, the organization, the labor union, and the public are negatively affected. Why can 't there be a better way of resolving disputes between the management and labor unions to avert unnecessary strikes? Why does the relationship between the labor unions and management have to be adversarial in nature? Does anybody benefit from strikes and work stoppages? These are some of the questions that I will explore in this study.
I visited the Communications Workers of America (CWA) website, https://www.cwa-union.org/ to find out some more information. What I discovered were statements about how the union will help with negotiating wages, benefits, and safety. The CWA states that they will not only handle the basic employment negotiations, but they also provide services to help with further education, and employee
Verizon and sprint are both on different path with Verizon firmly establishing itself as the king of the air waves and sprint on the verge of financial chaos. Their relationship with their employee come with a surprise as Verizon posted one of the largest strike in in this decade when 40,000 employee walk off their job and started a very controversial strike which has been waited in by many on the cause and outcome. To say the least this, show there are issues to be dealt with it employee relationship. Investor can will also see this as a sign that there is a possibility for customer service issues to arise. Verizon is very capable of shouldering a very huge financial load but the recent event of the strike could cause many potential future
In 2011 Statistics Canada reported a low unionization rate of 12% in the Canadian retail sector. A key reason for low union density throughout the retail industry is that the Canadian Labour Law is not very conducive to collective bargaining on a small scale (Law of Work, 2013). Although various unions have succeeded in organizing retail entities, negotiations are often complicated and can lead to major disputes (Law of Work, 2013). The 2013/14 labour controversy between Teamsters Local 213 and Richmond IKEA was of no exception, as this highly adversarial dispute lasted 18 months (Teamsters Local 213 , 2014). This dispute resulted in various consequences for employees, IKEA, and consumers. In the context of this situation, the detrimental impacts
Should prerogatives at the local or national level take higher priority when negotiating new agreements with employers? In my opinion, as long as the new deals are made in a collective bargaining; process that allows workers to face employers in unified groups, then prerogatives at the local or national level should not take the higher priority. Ideally, unionized labor is primarily meant to take care of the typical employee. Unions protect workers; by uniting them under a single union banner, to allow them to listen to one clear voice concerning the working conditions or other worker-related issues.Notably, Unions commonly have political agendas or other plans that need attention. Specifically, national unions often pass their political agendas by prioritizing the needs of those at localized levels.
LEWIN, D., KEEFE, J. H., & KOCHAN, T. A. (2012). THE NEW GREAT DEBATE ABOUT UNIONISM AND COLLECTIVE BARGAINING IN U.S. STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS. ILR Review, 65(4), 749-778 Retrieved from https://web-b-ebscohost-com.bethelu.idm.oclc.org/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=4&sid=71a03270-ad95-41f9-a574-414b59891617%40sessionmgr103&hid=101
The rise of capitalism as the dominant economic system in the United States made the rise of unions inevitable; given the natural division between those with capital that control the means of production, and labor, who is treated simply as another factor of production (Hodson & Sullivan, 2008). While labor unions have made significant improvements to the working environment, with the regulation of safety, environment, labor and wage; labor unions have also contributed to the decline of U.S. dominance in industries like steel, automotive, education and airlines. In today’s global economy, can labor unions continue to be a force for good in the United States, or have they become harmful institutions?
Many unions are at battle with their respected employers. Some of these fights are better known than other fights. United Airlines is trying to renegotiate contracts to save their company money. This has been a long battle for United,
Being a part of a group or an association that you pay into as a worker should have benefits that can help you continue to improve their lives. The benefit of having someone speak up for you could be better pay, better health benefits, and being better treated in the work place. Collective bargaining, while not being a guarantee, can help gain these benefits. It is the process of negotiations between representatives of workers and management to determine the conditions of employment. The collectively determined agreement may cover compensation, hiring, practices, layoffs, promotions, working conditions and hours, worker discipline, and benefit programs. So since the discovery of
Labor unions have come a long way to finally being recognize and acknowledge by employers. Without a mutual bargain agreement, business owners can easily take advantage of the employees. I do not support everything the unions does, but I honestly think the contract needs to be in place for job security and to protect the employees' rights.
In the U.S. labor relations, a group of employees who desire to bargain collectively rather than individually, are those who typically form a union (Dooley, 1957). This demonstrates to the employer that the majority of its employees support the union and the organizing process begins. First, employees cannot form a union without abiding by certain basic procedural steps and legal standards that are required. Decisions to vote against or for a union are based on factors such as satisfaction with their job, beliefs of the effectiveness of the union, and the culture or social environment in which the employee works. Next, when an employer exerts undue punishment to an employee who the employer suspects as being an illegal alien, this may be poor public policy. From a legal perspective, a recent federal court case, Singh v. Jutla & C.D. & R. Oil, Inc., 214 F. Supp. 2d 1056 (N.D. Cal. 2002) spoke to this issue. In this case, when the plaintiff Singh filed a wage claim under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), the employer fired him and reported him to INS as an illegal alien (Labor Law, 1969). Likewise, the union certification process which was established by the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) in 1935 was a victory for workers waning union representation upon its initial implementation. Workers could petition the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) for a determination made democratically of whether a majority of workers favored unionization (Labor Law, 1969). This effort
Collective bargaining is the process by which conditions of employment are negotiated between management, and the labor organization representing employees in the bargaining unit. However, “collective bargaining refers to a situation in which union members and officials meet with an intent to resolve any issues or conflicts, in an attempt to maintain relationships” (Holley, Jennings, & Wolters, 2012, p. 243). The collective bargaining process relies on four aspects: recognition of the meeting, meeting with appropriate parties, bargaining in good faith, and incorporating the reached agreement (Adam, 1997). Nevertheless, collective bargaining activities are governed by the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). The NLRA requires bargaining
David Brody argues that the rise of contractual or collective bargaining relationships during the post WWII era formalized the relationship between employers and unions. The use of collective bargaining agreements to resolve workplace disputes weakened unions and the power of workers. Other actions, such as using collection bargaining as a form of substitution for direct action and using it instead of the strike for grievance and arbitration procedure served , also has weakened the unions and the power of workers. The rise of contractual or collective bargaining relationships changed the dynamic of the workplace, shifting the power from the union side to towards the employers. The perspective could best be argued suing Weber’s theory and
In this economy for one to be considered an independent, they should be working and have a source of income, however the jobs that are present do not pay a living wage. This means the employees are paid for their standard labor, which means the employees are living check to check and they are not saving any money in case of an emergency. In the recent article “Sorry Advocates, the Minimum Wage Debate is Not Over” In Forbes article it illustrates the big debate between the benefits and the cons of the minimum wage and the biggest concern is that it causes job losses in an area that people are moving to new places looking a better job that pays a better minimum wage. With this being done businesses are not having employees and causing them to shut down. Although, some people live on living wage, some people have full time jobs that help provide them with full benefits such as health insurance and contribution to their 401k and for them to be protected, the labor unions help with their protection. The main duty is for them to bargain collectively for their employees, which means they have the right to go on strike if the they feel as if their wishes are not being met by their employees. This is considered important, however in the current economy Labor unions have decreased in that the industrial work has decreased and most of them have gone overseas. If the company is not listening to the labor unions then the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) can get