Part of week's discussion will be based on the Patco case study and articles.”
How have replacement workers been used in the past? (Chapter Three)
Employees had used strikes as leverage whenever they got into management-labor conflicts. They withheld their roles to obtain better treatment from their bosses. Ronald Reagan supported the private sector; hence, he instituted that the skilled workers who went on the strikes were to be replaced by others (McCartin, 2011). The replacement workers were used to punish those who strike instead of heeding to their negotiations. The aspect led to a rise in inequality in the workplace and fewer walkouts.
In Chapter One, we discussed equity as one of the three cornerstones of employee relations. Do you believe that the use of replacement workers during the PATCO strike as well as other strikes is equitable? What do you see as the lingering effects of this practice?
The utilization of replacement workers was not equitable since it shut off any opportunities for negotiating for better pays and working conditions. The laborers were afraid to conduct a strike since they would lose their jobs in the process. However, the replacement assisted the private sector that did not have to give in to the demands of the workers (McCartin, 2011). The stripping of the rights of workers to bargain with the management pushed inequality to higher levels.
Part of week's discussion will be based on the article, “Disunity Within the House of Labor: Change to Win or Stay the Course.”
The article discusses how the Change to Win Federation (CTWF) developed a new alliance separate from the AFL-CIO. The alliance encompasses seven major U.S. unions and represents 5.4 million workers. The CTWF set out with a mission to organize the unorganized and charge lower monthly member fees. The revenues from the dues would be solely used for reorganization. This new alliance can potentially increase union membership through increased competition with rival affiliates.
Please answer the following questions based on the article:
The article states, that labor's greatest period of growth was between 1935-1954, when there were two rival federations fighting for market share. Why do you think union membership rose during that period of increased rival competition? Do you see the same thing happening today?
The union decided to organize the labor sector that was unorganized and present a global theme of the unionism of all employees under one firm. The orderliness also resulted in the prioritization of resources to obtain union presence. The phenomenon cannot happen today because there is the need to enhance competitiveness in the job representation services. One union is susceptible to misuse by the management. The several groups will ignite a great period like the one experienced in 1935-1954 (Estreicher, 2006).
According to the article it’s necessary for CTWF to figure out what nonunion workers want from their workplace representative and reshape its image and package of services. How can CTWF identify what nonunion workers want and reshape their image and service offerings?
The organization should incorporate into their negotiations and strategies. They should listen to them more keenly instead of focusing on more resources for their workers with each strike. The company should get its priorities right and begin to devote real energy and resources to formulating a presence amongst the nonunion members. Through this, it will expand its density and organization.
Union participation is declining among younger workers. Why do you believe this is happening? If you were appointed as president of the CTWF, what would you do to boost participation of these workers?
The company no longer has a strong presence with more firms springing up unlike before when they were the only union. The organization should mark the employees who have a significant density in the core labor markets and industries. CTWF should also develop better standards that eradicate interference and develop long-term initiatives that protect its members (Estreicher, 2006). They should create separate entities for each group of workers in a particular industry to facilitate an organized initiative.
References
Estreicher S. (2006). Disunity within the House of Labor: Change to Win or to Stay the Course? Journal of Labor Research, Volume xxvn, Number 4.
McCartin J. (2011). The Strike That Busted Unions. New York Times.
