The Pros And Cons Of Collective Bargaining

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.

Over the years unions have provided many benefits to union workers through collective bargaining. One of the biggest union forces in the United States is the teachers union. With almost close to 5 million members nationwide, the teachers union is one of the most powerful unions. Through collective bargaining, problems have been created for the public school system which takes place at local school districts; rules have been imposed to create ineffective forms of organization at schools. The rules that are currently in place by collective bargaining are also creating a big disconnection with many public schools, that being the interest of the children. The teachers union is one main role

A teacher union is an association of teaching professionals who work to secure their rights and interests. The first thing that pops into my head when I hear “teacher unions,” is that they are beneficial not only to teachers, but also students and families. Being protected and having stable conditions is given to the families of both the students and teachers. It is to be true that teacher unions help to have a positive influence on the academic performance of the students, additionally, the quality of public education. Currently, not all will be certain that this is true, but in Taking Sides it goes in depth on whether teacher unions are positively and/or negatively affecting schooling. Andrew Coulson argues that yes teacher unions stymie school reforms, whereas Louis Malfaro argues that no teacher unions are absolutely influencing the improvements of teaching and learning positively. Both Coulson and Malfaro have significant points to back up this argument on what they believe about teacher unions.

One of the main reasons why teacher unions were created was to provide the teachers with rights, give the teachers better working conditions, and for the students so they could have a better learning environment. “The Federation fought for teachers' rights and improved working conditions, but it also played a prominent role in Chicago progressive reform (Rousmaniere, 2005).” The CTU’s and the Federation’s main purpose when they were created was to reform the rights of teachers and the school quality for the students that attend them. Teachers realized that they needed better conditions for the students when they saw, heard, or had been to private schools. Working together, the teachers set up organized strikes that were not violent and made the Board of Education meet the demands of the teachers. The outcome of the strike was the increase in the pay the teachers received, better environments for the students, and the teacher

In the early chapters of Special Interest Terry Moe spends much of his energy in attacking the power of the teacher unions. He claims that teachers unions are the heart of the problem when it comes to organization and reform (Moe, 2011, p. 20). While Moe claims the NEA (National Education Association) and the AFT (American Federation of Teachers) have historically lobbied against many reform programs, including voucher programs, charter schools, and merit pay programs, there is also evidence where teachers’ unions have supported new reforms. They have introduced new charter schools and have based salaries on merit pay programs. Former NEA president Bob Chase delivered a speech in 1997 claiming that the NEA was on the forefront of education reform. He stated that the NEA invested 70 million dollars on reform initiatives and sponsored six charter schools across the country (Chase, 1997, p. 372). Educational policy makers should be in particular interest to these examples especially if they believe in the effectiveness of reform programs. If policy makers understand the thinking behind why the unions support or oppose reforms, better policies can be put in place. In addition, policy makers in partnership with the teachers unions can work hand in hand to successfully coordinate reforms in American education.

There could be disruption in the school environment if no union was present, and some teachers fear, that a principal could quickly decide that a teacher no longer suits the school’s needs. The complete end to collective bargaining would “almost certainly mean more frequent walkouts and strikes”

Colorado is one of nine states in which local school boards have latitude and discretion regarding whether to recognize unions or other organizations as exclusive representatives of employee groups. Of Colorado’s 178 school districts, currently 39 are known to have one or more collective bargaining agreements. The industrial labor model is used in these 39 districts to negotiate education employee pay, benefits, and working conditions, in addition to various union perks and

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.

The teachers union has been around for many years. The first union was founded in, “1857: The National Education Association (NEA) is founded in Philadelphia by 43 educators” (Mader, 2012). With a local school board in charge of a district’s education, teachers unions can have a greater ability to bargain, educate, and protect their members. School boards are there to help be an in-between for the tax payers and the schools.

On September18th, the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) voted to end its strike. After seven days of rumbustious protects, the CTU accepted the suggestions made by the city of Chicago. And there are many things we can think about through this strike.

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

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

Teacher Unions have evolved over time and have been essential in education equality and reform. Some now question the motivation behind these unions and whether or not they are now a barrier to reform, rather than a assistant. This paper will explore the evolvement of not only Teacher Unions, but the purpose and motivation behind said unions. Two of the most predominately known unions are American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and the National Education Association, NEA.

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