Labor Relations Paper
A union is an organization of workers who join together in order to have a voice in improving their jobs and the quality of work within the organization. In many occasions, unions help employees of an organization negotiate pay, benefits, flexible hours and other work conditions that may arise. Unions have a role because some degree of conflict is inevitable between workers and management (Noe, 2003). In this paper, I will be discussing the impact of unions and labor relations within an organization.
Labor Unions Labor unions represent workers interests and the collective bargaining process provides a way to manage the conflict (Noe, 2003). More than ever, union employees have come to see unionizing as a way to achieve an effective voice to improve their jobs and the quality of work they provide to the organization. Also, the members of unions have a sense of political power to voice for workers rights. For example, one of the largest unions for Kaiser Permanente is United Healthcare Workers SEIU Local 399. UHW prides itself on being not only the fastest growing union in the nation, but the largest and most powerful healthcare union west of the Mississippi. Unions may have its pro 's and con 's with both the employee and employer. Some individuals believe that it is better not to be a member of a union while others believe that they would not want to work in a union-less environment. If an individual works for a large organization, odds are that it would be in his/her best interest to be a union member. As a union member, an employee may have the protection from the union. An employer does not have the right to fire or discipline an employee without having a meeting with a union representative, such as a union steward. A union steward is actually an employee of the organization that is elected by the union members to represent them and investigate complaints and help them file grievances if an employee feels that his/her union contract was
Labor Unions Labor unions represent workers interests and the collective bargaining process provides a way to manage the conflict (Noe, 2003). More than ever, union employees have come to see unionizing as a way to achieve an effective voice to improve their jobs and the quality of work they provide to the organization. Also, the members of unions have a sense of political power to voice for workers rights. For example, one of the largest unions for Kaiser Permanente is United Healthcare Workers SEIU Local 399. UHW prides itself on being not only the fastest growing union in the nation, but the largest and most powerful healthcare union west of the Mississippi. Unions may have its pro 's and con 's with both the employee and employer. Some individuals believe that it is better not to be a member of a union while others believe that they would not want to work in a union-less environment. If an individual works for a large organization, odds are that it would be in his/her best interest to be a union member. As a union member, an employee may have the protection from the union. An employer does not have the right to fire or discipline an employee without having a meeting with a union representative, such as a union steward. A union steward is actually an employee of the organization that is elected by the union members to represent them and investigate complaints and help them file grievances if an employee feels that his/her union contract was
References: www.kp.org Fundamentals of Human Resource Management, 1e Raymond Andrew Noe, John R. Hollenbeck, Barry Gerhert, Patrick M. Wright (2003) www.laborrelations.com www.ehresources.com