Centurylink and the Union
CenturyLink and the Union
Robin Stotts
HRM/531
February 25.2013
Gary Craig Background of CenturyLink
In the 1870s the telephone was invented by two men; Alexander Graham Bell and Elisha Gray, both won the right to patented the design of the telephone, however, Alexander Graham Bell arrived at the patented office first thus his telephone was the first to be pattend. The invention of the telephone transformed the way that the world communicated from 1870 to current but one very small company, the Oak Ridge Telephone Company had been purchased by William Clarke and Marie Williams for $500. The Oak Ridge Telephone Company became a wedding present to Clarke Williams and his wife, and after 22 years (1946 - 1968) the little telephone company became incorporated and changed their name to Central Telephone and Electronics.
After 45 years (1968 – 2013) the company grew, the name changed a couple of times, there were buying and selling of wireless contracts and “On April 1st, of 2011 CenturyLink completed its acquisition of Qwest Communications in a tax free, stock-for-stock transaction, creating the third largest telecommunications provider – based on access lines – in the United States” (CenturyLink, 2013), this also meant that CenturyLink in Idaho is currently unionized.
Legal Issues and Obstacles for CenturyLink
Some of the legal issues and obstacles that face CenturyLink are because a union stems from the right of the employees to choose whether or not to join the union, to organize under the union, and bargain together with a union representative and managers of the current organization.
According the reading material for week two there are seven union unfair labor practices for unions under the TAFT-Hartley Act of 1947, they are; (1) Forcing of an employee to join in the union activities; (2) Attempting to get one employee to discriminate against another employee, (3) To avoid bargaining appropriately on behalf of the employee, (4) Overcharging
Robin Stotts
HRM/531
February 25.2013
Gary Craig Background of CenturyLink
In the 1870s the telephone was invented by two men; Alexander Graham Bell and Elisha Gray, both won the right to patented the design of the telephone, however, Alexander Graham Bell arrived at the patented office first thus his telephone was the first to be pattend. The invention of the telephone transformed the way that the world communicated from 1870 to current but one very small company, the Oak Ridge Telephone Company had been purchased by William Clarke and Marie Williams for $500. The Oak Ridge Telephone Company became a wedding present to Clarke Williams and his wife, and after 22 years (1946 - 1968) the little telephone company became incorporated and changed their name to Central Telephone and Electronics.
After 45 years (1968 – 2013) the company grew, the name changed a couple of times, there were buying and selling of wireless contracts and “On April 1st, of 2011 CenturyLink completed its acquisition of Qwest Communications in a tax free, stock-for-stock transaction, creating the third largest telecommunications provider – based on access lines – in the United States” (CenturyLink, 2013), this also meant that CenturyLink in Idaho is currently unionized.
Legal Issues and Obstacles for CenturyLink
Some of the legal issues and obstacles that face CenturyLink are because a union stems from the right of the employees to choose whether or not to join the union, to organize under the union, and bargain together with a union representative and managers of the current organization.
According the reading material for week two there are seven union unfair labor practices for unions under the TAFT-Hartley Act of 1947, they are; (1) Forcing of an employee to join in the union activities; (2) Attempting to get one employee to discriminate against another employee, (3) To avoid bargaining appropriately on behalf of the employee, (4) Overcharging
References: Cascio, W. F. (2010). Managing Human Resources. Productivity, Quality of Work Life, Profits. Retrieved from https://ecampus.phoenix.edu/content/eBookLibrary2/content/eReader.aspx on 2.25.2013 CenturyLink. (2013). Company History. Retrieved from http://www.centurylink.com/Pages/AboutUs/CompanyInformation/TimeLine/ on 2.25.2013