Why Unions Are Dying Case Study

Kimberly Hargrave
Professor Maggie Smith
Final Paper; Q’s #2-6
March 8, 2015

1. Unions have declined as a percentage of the workforce in the private sector. With this decline, have career and workplace dissatisfaction and alienation increased? If so, why is this so? If not, why not? Support your position. Unions have been dissolving and declining for decades, to the point that they are fighting to stay and be heard.(Meyerson, “Why Unions Are Dying”). Today, only 11.8% of Americans are union members with only 6.9% in the private sector. The South already is almost completely vanquished of unions. Also, the number of states that had at least 10% of private-sector employees with union contracts have shrunken from 42 to
Identify two different steps a company should take to prepare for its first round of bargaining with the union pre-negotiation activities. Explain why each of the steps you have identified is critical to achieving an initial successful collective bargaining agreement with the union.
Both parties should bargain in good faith in the collective bargaining process; meaning that there is a mutual obligation and understanding that both parties must participate actively to come to an agreement. It is important determine the category of bargaining: mandatory, permissive, or illegal. Mandatory category includes wages, health & safety, management risk, work conditions, and benefits; permissive category is non-required requests but are brought up during the bargaining process; illegal category is topics that are obviously not allowed to be discussed. (Dias)
After both parties are prepared to present their side of the bargain, negotiation teams are set up and consist of individuals with the knowledge of the organization and must have the skills to be an effective negotiator. The most important part of the preparation step is the understanding in both parties of the working conditions and the dissatisfaction with of working conditions. The management teams should also prepare and anticipate union demands to better prepare for compromises.
It imposes a wide range of disclosure and reporting requirements of pension and welfare benefit plans. These provisions already are written in many similar state laws. ERISA also states that certain employers and plan administrators must fund and insurance system to protect certain types of retirement benefits with the premiums paid to the federal government. (Summary of Major Laws of DOL)
Unions specifically are protected under the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act (LMRDA). This protects union funds and promotes union democracy by requiring labors to files annual financial report by requiring the officials, employers, and consultants to file report regarding certain practices. (Summary of Major Laws of DOL)
Other labor laws include Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act, Employee Polygraph Protection Act, Garnishment of Wages, The Family and Medical Leave Act, Veterans’ Preference, Government Contracts/Grants/Financial Aid, Migrant & Seasonal Agricultural Workers, Mine Safety and Health, Construction, Transportation, and Plant Closing & Layoffs. (Summary of Major Laws of