Labor Unions Past And Future

Union/Management relations the past and future

1 A labor union is defined as a formal association of workers that promotes the interests of its members through collective action. Unions base their collective actions on the following factors: wages, benefits, working conditions, and on representing their members in disputes with management over violations of contracts. Labor unions can be a challenge for some managers because if the employee is not satisfied with the organizations Human Resource Department a labor union may be their alternative. Human Resource managers must familiarize themselves with why employees unionize and the factors that influence unions. Employees typically
The text book Human Resource Management, Essential Perspectives outlines the U.S Labor Laws and how these government laws both hinder and protect unions. The Railway Labor Act (RLA) of 1926 shows the joint effort of railroad management and unions in attempt to reduce transportation strikes. The RLA gave the railroad companies the right to organize and bargain collectively through the representatives of their own choosing. The RLA influenced another act, the Norris La-Guardia Act that guaranteed employees rights to organize and restricted the issuance of court injunctions in labor disputes. Both the RLA and the Norris La-Guardia Act had a big impact on the 1930’s response to the labor crisis: The Wagner Act (National Labor Relations Act). The Wagner Act declared that the official policy of the U.S government was to encourage collective bargaining. This allowed employees to organize unions as a result of a employers unfair work practices. The work practices that The Wagner Act specifically sought to protect
In addition to the Wagner Act, The Taft-Harley and the Landrum-Griffin Act were also passed. The Taft-Harley Act, commonly referred to as the LAbor Management Relations Act, was passed in 1947. This act set out to limit union abuses after the pro-union Wagner Act. This law amended or qualified provisions of the Wagner Act by limiting union abuses. The right-to-work provision was a leading provision in the Taft-Harley Act. The right-to-work provision prohibited requiring employees to join unions as a condition of obtaining or continuing employment. Landrum-Griffin Act, or the Labor Management Reporting and Disclosure Act, was passed in 1959 to ensure that the federal government protects the democratic rights of the members. Under the Landrum-Griffin Act, unions were required to create bylaws, make financial reports, and provide union members with a bill of rights. Laws regarding unions are constantly changing and will continue to do so. The Civil Service Reform and Postal Reorganization Acts were passed in the 1970’s and they made major changes in how the federal government deals with unions. Following these