Unions & Labor Relations

• The role & importance of unions in organizations

• Reasons for joining a union

• History & legislation of unionization in U.S.

• Structure of unions in the U.S.

Role of Unions in Industry

• Improve working conditions & economics of members & non-members

• Improve work security from market, economic, technological & managerial threats

• Improve power relations• Provide a structure to protect against

arbitrary & capricious policies & practices

Union Goals

• Power– Key industries– Political activity

• Growth

Reasons for Joining a Union

• Dissatisfaction– Compensation– Job security–Working conditions–Management attitudes

• Socialization

• Union-shops

Job Satisfaction & Voting for A Union

• Wage Satisfaction -.40• Supervisors play favorites -.34• Overall satisfaction -.36• Satisfied with job security -.42• Good promotion chances -.30• Fringe benefit satisfaction -.31• Supervisors show appreciation -.30

Legal Framework

• The Wagner Act -- 1935

• Taft-Hartley Act -- 1947

• Landrum Griffith Act -- 1959

• Right to work laws

• NLRB vs Electromation -- 1993

Union membership In U. S. (in millions)

• Union 1976 1993

• Teamsters 1.8 1.5

• UAW 1.4 .75

• Steelworkers 1.1 .4

• Electrical workers .8 .7

• Machinists .75 .45

• ILGWU .4 .2

Reasons for Decline in Membership

• New collar workers in high tech industries• Worker mobility• High tech industries empower workers• Shrinkage in old industries• The graying of the work force• The small blip up (politics, salting &

flooding)

Public Sector Unions

• Forty percent of employees represented compared with ten percent in the private sector

• Acceptance of employee involvement

• Title VII of the 1978 Civil Service Reform

Organization of Unions

• Locals -- collects dues, elects officers & shop steward, handles grievances and discipline– Craft and Industrial Unions

• National -- Handles negotiations, strike funds, health insurance and pensions

• AFL-CIO

Backwards & Forwards

• Summing up: We covered unions in industry ranging from the role & goals of unions, to reasons for joining or not, a look at history & legislation that surround unionization in the US & its status today in private and public sectors. We

finished with an overview union structure.• Looking ahead:Next time we continue with

unions & labor relations by examining how a company gets organized, & how contracts get bargained & administered. We’ll also look at

future trends.