Posted: May 24th, 2022

Labor Relations Case Studies 5 pages

The effectiveness and proficiency of labor unions in dealing with the practical issues that arise in the workplace has been a matter if great debate since these organizations were first founded, and the question is still unresolved. Though there can be little dount that labor unions have given more power to employees through the practice of collective bargaining, they are also necessarily highly bureaucratic organizations, responding to change with deliberately and purposefully slow agreement. In addition, and in part due to the slow nature of their actions, unions and the employees they represent can evince a certain shortsightedness in determining what is truly best for the labor force in both their recommendations and their actions. Cost saving measures proposed by management representatives are generally met with resistance by unions and the general labor force, as they almost always (by definition) lead to a reduction in pay and/or other benefits enjoyed by labor. Yet without certain cost saving measures at certain times, labor could quite realistically find themselves without a company to work for.

One of the more contentious issues that falls into these lines surprisingly neatly — at least in the United States, where there is no national plan — is healthcare. Providing healthcare has become standard for large employers, and presents one of the most necessary benefits to employees (given the high cost of private, individual insurance), but is also one of the highest costs to management. When a company (or the entire economy) is facing a financial downturn, healthcare is often one of the first things management will turn to in an effort to reduce costs and keep the company afloat. Though labor often balks at the reduced coverage/higher personal costs of any such changes, it also helps to ensure that they will have a job in the future, highlighting one of the basic inefficiencies of the current labor relations system.

In case study 7.2, management decided to change insurance carriers when the company’s current provider announced a significant increase in cost and a large sum of up-front payment as an assurance against the company’s ongoing financial struggles. The only significant change in coverage, according to the case study, was a reduction in prescription benefits. The specifics of coverage are not detailed in management’s contract with the union; all that is technically provided for is “basic medical benefits covering reasonable and customary charges.” Given te financial straits that the company was in, and the extreme flexibility of the contract, the cost savings presented by management’s decision to change insurance providers made the decision very reasonable, ensuring continued coverage without losing employees.

In this light, it seems unreasonable for the union and employees to reject the new medical plan solely on the grounds of the reduced prescription coverage. Though their cost for prescriptions would be higher than the flat four-dollar rate, after reaching their deductible amount the new plan would still cover 80% of prescription costs. For most employees, it can safely be assumed that prescription costs would not become prohibitive under the new plan, especially with the availability of cheap generic prescriptions. Regardless of the actual rise in costs to the employees, however, there is nothing in the contract between labor and management that prohibits this change on management’s part, and given the financial circumstances of the company labor ought to be willing to make this slight concession in order to ensure job security.

This issue raises a very important question regarding the actual role of the union. The primary purpose of a labor union is to represent their employees. At the same time, the union must ensure that mutually beneficial agreements can be reached between he labor force and management. This can require the union not only to negotiate with management, but alsa (in certain specific instances) to negotiate with the employees in order to develop an effective strategy for continued employment and benefits. This should in no way be construed to mean that the union’s task is to continually convince employees o agree with management’s preferred business strategy, but in certain situations — such as the case at hand — convincing employees to accept the management’s decided course of action is better for the company and the employees at large in the long-term. The union is not merely representative of its employees current views, that is, but must represent their long-term interests, sometimes in spite of themselves.

As stated above, the management in this instance had absolutely every right o make the change in medical insurance providers, so long as all basic “reasonable” medical expenses are covered. Prescription coverage is one of the most difficult features of medical coverage to find in the private market, and is also one of the most expensive. The deductible and percentage coverage of the new medical plan described in the case study is certainly reasonable for the employees, and the savings to the company will allow their continued operation. If the company fails, the employees will not be receiving any medical coverage through the company; not only does management have the right to make this change, but it is one of the most cost effective and reasonable steps they can take to ensure the continued employment — and medical coverage — of their labor force. Ultimately, the issues comes down to one of contractual obligations, and given the vagueness in the contract concerning medical coverage there is nothing to prevent management form making this change.

Another major component of the current labor relations system is the time period it can take to resolve certain disputes, and the uncertainties involved in many cases. This is especially true with the rules and even laws regarding an employee’s or union’s ability to go on strike while retaining a promise of employment. Ultimately, work is the only thing that labor can withhold from management as a bargaining chip. Whether via slowdowns or full-out strikes, withholding work is the only real power that labor has, which is why union contracts and federal laws protect such withholding as a way of protecting labor’s interests. There are also rules and laws protecting management from unfair strikes and demands, as well as provisions for the continued operation of their business during a strike. Though protection in strike situations is absolutely necessary for both management and labor, it also creates many further inefficiencies in the current labor relations system, as case study 9.3 clearly shows.

The first and most obvious issue in the case study is whether the two building porters, who were striking for unfair labor practices unspecified in the case study, were legally protected from termination during their strike. Because the details of their strike are not included in the case study, it is impossible to provide a personal opinion regarding the validity of the employees’ strike under unfair labor practice provisions. However, given that the NLRB eventually ruled in favor of the two employees and determined that their strike was indeed justifiable and therefore included protection from termination, it must be concluded that their strike did indeed take place due to unfair labor practices. As the final arbiter in such matters, the NLRB’s decision makes the strike by definition a legal and protected act of the employees.

The issue of back pay for the two employees, though more complex on the surface, is in reality just as simple, and deciding along the exact same lines. The fact that the strike was deemed legal means that the discharge of the employees was illegal (as stated explicitly in the case study). The offer of reinstatement claims that “management had no choice but to replace” the two strikers, and informed them that “management would be agreeable to reinstating you if you agreed to return to work immediately.” Both of these statements suggest that management believed it was not engaging in unfair labor practices, and that the porters therefore had no legal reason to strike — the offer of reinstatement was implicitly contingent upon the employees’ acceptance of pre-strike conditions, effectively eliminating any power that the strike might have had. The NLRB’s ruling that the strike was legal means that unfair labor practices were being engaged in (namely that management was refusing to bargain in good faith), and that therefore the reinstatement of the employees under management’s proposal (i.e. that management would make no changes to its policies) would simply have perpetuated the unfair practices. That is, the offer of reinstatement was not even vaguely conciliatory or compromising, and therefore cannot even be considered a step in negotiations to end the strike. The employees, according to the NLRB’s ruling, are due to the full amount of back pay from the time of their discharge to the date two years later that the ruling was made.

The current labor relations system has many inefficiencies, but ultimately it allows unions and labor in general a reliable — if time consuming — method of addressing concerns and grievances.

Get Professional Assignment Help Cheaply

Are you busy and do not have time to handle your assignment? Are you scared that your paper will not make the grade? Do you have responsibilities that may hinder you from turning in your assignment on time? Are you tired and can barely handle your assignment? Are your grades inconsistent?

Whichever your reason is, it is valid! You can get professional academic help from our service at affordable rates. We have a team of professional academic writers who can handle all your assignments.

Why Choose Our Academic Writing Service?

• Plagiarism free papers
• Timely delivery
• Any deadline
• Skilled, Experienced Native English Writers
• Subject-relevant academic writer
• Adherence to paper instructions
• Ability to tackle bulk assignments
• Reasonable prices
• 24/7 Customer Support
• Get superb grades consistently

Online Academic Help With Different Subjects

Literature

Students barely have time to read. We got you! Have your literature essay or book review written without having the hassle of reading the book. You can get your literature paper custom-written for you by our literature specialists.

Finance

Do you struggle with finance? No need to torture yourself if finance is not your cup of tea. You can order your finance paper from our academic writing service and get 100% original work from competent finance experts.

Computer science

Computer science is a tough subject. Fortunately, our computer science experts are up to the match. No need to stress and have sleepless nights. Our academic writers will tackle all your computer science assignments and deliver them on time. Let us handle all your python, java, ruby, JavaScript, php , C+ assignments!

Psychology

While psychology may be an interesting subject, you may lack sufficient time to handle your assignments. Don’t despair; by using our academic writing service, you can be assured of perfect grades. Moreover, your grades will be consistent.

Engineering

Engineering is quite a demanding subject. Students face a lot of pressure and barely have enough time to do what they love to do. Our academic writing service got you covered! Our engineering specialists follow the paper instructions and ensure timely delivery of the paper.

Nursing

In the nursing course, you may have difficulties with literature reviews, annotated bibliographies, critical essays, and other assignments. Our nursing assignment writers will offer you professional nursing paper help at low prices.

Sociology

Truth be told, sociology papers can be quite exhausting. Our academic writing service relieves you of fatigue, pressure, and stress. You can relax and have peace of mind as our academic writers handle your sociology assignment.

Business

We take pride in having some of the best business writers in the industry. Our business writers have a lot of experience in the field. They are reliable, and you can be assured of a high-grade paper. They are able to handle business papers of any subject, length, deadline, and difficulty!

Statistics

We boast of having some of the most experienced statistics experts in the industry. Our statistics experts have diverse skills, expertise, and knowledge to handle any kind of assignment. They have access to all kinds of software to get your assignment done.

Law

Writing a law essay may prove to be an insurmountable obstacle, especially when you need to know the peculiarities of the legislative framework. Take advantage of our top-notch law specialists and get superb grades and 100% satisfaction.

What discipline/subjects do you deal in?

We have highlighted some of the most popular subjects we handle above. Those are just a tip of the iceberg. We deal in all academic disciplines since our writers are as diverse. They have been drawn from across all disciplines, and orders are assigned to those writers believed to be the best in the field. In a nutshell, there is no task we cannot handle; all you need to do is place your order with us. As long as your instructions are clear, just trust we shall deliver irrespective of the discipline.

Are your writers competent enough to handle my paper?

Our essay writers are graduates with bachelor's, masters, Ph.D., and doctorate degrees in various subjects. The minimum requirement to be an essay writer with our essay writing service is to have a college degree. All our academic writers have a minimum of two years of academic writing. We have a stringent recruitment process to ensure that we get only the most competent essay writers in the industry. We also ensure that the writers are handsomely compensated for their value. The majority of our writers are native English speakers. As such, the fluency of language and grammar is impeccable.

What if I don’t like the paper?

There is a very low likelihood that you won’t like the paper.

Reasons being:

• When assigning your order, we match the paper’s discipline with the writer’s field/specialization. Since all our writers are graduates, we match the paper’s subject with the field the writer studied. For instance, if it’s a nursing paper, only a nursing graduate and writer will handle it. Furthermore, all our writers have academic writing experience and top-notch research skills.
• We have a quality assurance that reviews the paper before it gets to you. As such, we ensure that you get a paper that meets the required standard and will most definitely make the grade.

In the event that you don’t like your paper:

• The writer will revise the paper up to your pleasing. You have unlimited revisions. You simply need to highlight what specifically you don’t like about the paper, and the writer will make the amendments. The paper will be revised until you are satisfied. Revisions are free of charge
• We will have a different writer write the paper from scratch.
• Last resort, if the above does not work, we will refund your money.

Will the professor find out I didn’t write the paper myself?

Not at all. All papers are written from scratch. There is no way your tutor or instructor will realize that you did not write the paper yourself. In fact, we recommend using our assignment help services for consistent results.

What if the paper is plagiarized?

We check all papers for plagiarism before we submit them. We use powerful plagiarism checking software such as SafeAssign, LopesWrite, and Turnitin. We also upload the plagiarism report so that you can review it. We understand that plagiarism is academic suicide. We would not take the risk of submitting plagiarized work and jeopardize your academic journey. Furthermore, we do not sell or use prewritten papers, and each paper is written from scratch.

When will I get my paper?

You determine when you get the paper by setting the deadline when placing the order. All papers are delivered within the deadline. We are well aware that we operate in a time-sensitive industry. As such, we have laid out strategies to ensure that the client receives the paper on time and they never miss the deadline. We understand that papers that are submitted late have some points deducted. We do not want you to miss any points due to late submission. We work on beating deadlines by huge margins in order to ensure that you have ample time to review the paper before you submit it.

Will anyone find out that I used your services?

We have a privacy and confidentiality policy that guides our work. We NEVER share any customer information with third parties. Noone will ever know that you used our assignment help services. It’s only between you and us. We are bound by our policies to protect the customer’s identity and information. All your information, such as your names, phone number, email, order information, and so on, are protected. We have robust security systems that ensure that your data is protected. Hacking our systems is close to impossible, and it has never happened.

How our Assignment  Help Service Works

1.      Place an order

You fill all the paper instructions in the order form. Make sure you include all the helpful materials so that our academic writers can deliver the perfect paper. It will also help to eliminate unnecessary revisions.

2.      Pay for the order

Proceed to pay for the paper so that it can be assigned to one of our expert academic writers. The paper subject is matched with the writer’s area of specialization.

3.      Track the progress

You communicate with the writer and know about the progress of the paper. The client can ask the writer for drafts of the paper. The client can upload extra material and include additional instructions from the lecturer. Receive a paper.

4.      Download the paper

The paper is sent to your email and uploaded to your personal account. You also get a plagiarism report attached to your paper.

PLACE THIS ORDER OR A SIMILAR ORDER WITH US TODAY AND GET A PERFECT SCORE!!!