Labor Relations: Unions, Negotiations, Seniority, and US Labor Trends

This essay delves into the multifaceted aspects of labor relations, beginning with a discussion on the necessity of labor unions in modern workplaces, particularly concerning employee satisfaction and representation. It argues for the importance of unions in protecting workers' interests, especially in larger organizations. The essay further examines non-economic tools such as mediation and fact-finding that unions can employ during negotiations with management, highlighting the benefits and potential drawbacks of each approach. It also addresses the decline in union membership in the United States since the 1970s, exploring the possible reasons and impacts on employee well-being and national productivity, while also considering alternative perspectives on management's role in employee satisfaction. Finally, the essay analyzes the role of seniority in determining overtime assignments and shift preferences, weighing the advantages of rewarding experienced employees against the potential disadvantages of alienating newer staff and impacting operational efficiency. This detailed analysis provides a comprehensive overview of key issues within labor relations.

Running head: LABOR RELATIONS
Labor relations
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author note

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Table of Contents
Answer to question 1.......................................................................................................................2
Answer to question 2.......................................................................................................................2
Answer to question 3.......................................................................................................................3
Answer to question 4.......................................................................................................................4
References........................................................................................................................................5

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Answer to question 1
It is a matter of fact that if good leaders with appropriate leadership style is employed
within the workplace and the management is somehow able to satisfy the requirements of the
employees, it would be beneficial for the workforce and if the policies set by the governing body
pleases the employees of the company, there will be no urgent need of an union. On the other
hand, it can also be said that the managerial body of the business organization might be
sympathetic towards the workers as they should, but, end of the day, the workers may want that
they should have a leader among them who will understand their needs in a compact way as that
person will be working with them (Routh, 2017). These two points can arise as it is a matter of
perspectives. However I will disagree with this philosophy as I believe that it is the workers
among whom the leader of the union should be chosen and there should be an union as a hero
can never emerge who is privileged and thus, I strongly believe that in a workplace where the
workforce involves over hundreds of employees, there should be a union for the best interests of
the workers and to sustain peace and harmony.
Answer to question 2
It can be said that the noneconomic tools to resolve the negotiations with the
management, a union can utilize are mediation and fact finding. These are two vital tools in this
context as these two techniques does not involve any kind of financial loss for the management
and naturally does not agitate the governing body of the company. The worker’s union can easily
ask a third party who will evaluate the situation with a neutral perspective and will convey the
messages to the governing body of the business organization and also to the general employees
(Hattam, 2014). It can surely be said that the third party should not be biased about the situation

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and should have the capability to analyze the situation to be able to convey the facts. Another
non economic tool in this context which can be beneficial is the fact finding. The employees or
the managerial board of any business concern can look at the facts and show the other concerned
party that what specific areas are affecting them and by doing that the both parties can come to a
conclusion that might be beneficial to both (Galbraith, 2017).
In this regard, it can be said that the tool mediation may have some drawbacks like the
third party can be biased at times and that can effectively tamper the process and that can bring
in various issues in the workplace (Fossum, 2014). On the other hand, the fact finding can be the
most appropriate tool as in this method, if the individuals analyze and identify the issues that are
affecting them in precise, there can be so such issues that can harm both the governing and the
labor party.
Answer to question 3
It has been noticed that during the 70s in United States of America one out of three
individuals were members of any worker union, but in contemporary times that ratio has gone
down in a significant manner and that has not improved the employees in a greater sense. It has
been noticed that due to various reasons there has been a gradual decline in the employee’s
threatened the employees that their jobs will be terminated and by doing so they have made
numerous union leaders discrete (Flora, 2017). Thus it can surely be said that cities like Las
Vegas and New York are still the hotbeds for union membership but St Louis which was a den of
worker unions has lost its place in recent years.
It has been noticed that in recent years lesser Americans have the fundamental concepts
of Worker Unions and the benefits of having unions in the workplace. It can be said that

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declining rate of worker unions is affecting the peace and satisfaction of the employees in their
workplaces and that is directly affecting the productivity which is contributing to the declining
economy of the nation (Cascio, 2018). On the other hand, someone can argue that nowadays the
managements of the business organizations have understood the importance of employee
satisfaction and means to retain a loyal and satisfied customer base and that is why the unions are
declining in the land of America (Sombart, 2017). I believe that this is also a matter of
perspective and only proper research and fat findings related to this issue can effectively solve
the issue.
Answer to question 4
It can be said that seniority should be a factor in determining overtime assignments and
shift preference in the workplaces as the experiences of the senior employees in the workplace
do matter a lot and that significantly contributes to the organizational productivity.
Advantages: Providing preferred shift timings and overtime assignments to the senior
employees in the workplace can effectively satisfy their requirements and that can significantly
impact on their loyalty towards the company and for that by sharing of knowledge the general
workforce can get benefitted (Zinn, 2015). Thus it can be said that the managements of the
business organizations should take great care in providing preferred shift timings to the senior
employees.
Disadvantages: Apart from the advantages there can be some disadvantages of this
technique and those are, if all the senior employees are provided with preferred shift timings the
management may lack experienced workers at the time of need or emergency and that can affect
the quality of the production (Schoultz, 2014). Apart from that continuously favoring the senior

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students may negatively affect the mindset or loyalty of the relatively newly joined employees of
the organization and that can significantly affect the morale of the general workforce resulting in
a declining productivity and profitability for the business concern.
References
Cascio, W. (2018). Managing human resources. McGraw-Hill Education.
Flora, P. (2017). Development of welfare states in Europe and America. Routledge.
Fossum, J. A. (2014). Labor relations. Mcgraw Hill Higher Educat.
Galbraith, J. (2017). American capitalism: The concept of countervailing power. Routledge.
Hattam, V. C. (2014). Labor visions and state power: The origins of business unionism in the
United States. Princeton University Press.
Routh, D. K. (2017). The first new nation: The United States in historical and comparative
perspective. Routledge.
Schoultz, L. (2014). Human Rights and United States Policy toward Latin America. Princeton
University Press.
Sombart, W. (2017). Revival: Why is there no Socialism in the United States?(1976). Routledge.
Zinn, H. (2015). A people's history of the United States: 1492-present. Routledge.