A valuable skill in Human Resources Management is the ability to
critically analyze and resolve troublesome situations. Many different
aspects of unions have been presented in this course. Likely at this
point you have a very good understanding of each of these different
aspects, such as the pros and cons to forming unions, today’s local and
global union environment, attitudes and characteristics of union
leadership, and bargaining and negotiation in unionized environments.
You also learned about these topics from a human resources standpoint
concerning your role as a human resource professional.
It is always a good idea at the end of a course to spend some time
reflecting not only on what you have learned, but what you will be able
to do with the new knowledge you have gained in your personal and
professional life. Theories and research are very important, but
application of the theories and the research is what happens as a Human
Resources professional, so you especially want to be able to take what
you have learned and apply it to your role as a human resource
professional.
In a reflective paper, offer a detailed explanation of how the
knowledge gained in this course provided you with an understanding of
the role of human resources in union environments as well as the
dynamics involved in a unionized organization. What challenges do human
resource managers face in dealing with a unionized organization? Be
detailed and succinct in your explanation of what you have gained from
the course.
Support your insights paper with a minimum of seven
(7) external resources. In addition to these specified resources, other
appropriate scholarly resources, including older articles, may be
included.
Length: 12-15 pages, not including title and reference pages
Your paper should demonstrate thoughtful consideration of the ideas
and concepts presented in the course and provide new thoughts and
insights relating directly to this topic. Your response should reflect
scholarly writing and current APA standards where applicable.
As a specialized role in the field of human resources, labor
relations specialists provide information and support to management
during the collective bargaining process. Labor relations professionals
are able to collect, coordinate, and provide management with data on
wages, labor law, and collective bargaining trends. Using their vast
knowledge about economics, wage data, labor law, and collective
bargaining trends they are able to interpret and administer employee’
contracts with respect to grievances, wages, benefits, and union
practices and often develop, implement, and oversee programs to insure
compliance with the negotiated union contract.
As you have seen over the past 7 weeks, human resources can take an
active role in labor relations in an organization. Being able to
communicate with and to both management and labor is a critical skill.
Human resources may be asked to write letters and memos related to labor
relations activities and collective bargaining agreements; draft
contract proposals or counter-proposals for collective bargaining; and
make presentations to increase knowledge and awareness on labor-related
issues.
In this last week of the course, you are being asked to review and
reflect upon what you have learned during the previous weeks about labor
relations, unions, and the various roles that human resources play in
labor relations.
Over the years, the scope and role human resource management has
evolved to meet the growth and changing needs of organizations. The
human resources function is comprised of several broad disciplines or
areas such as recruitment and talent acquisition; training and
development; benefits and compensation; risk management and workplace
safety; and employee relations and labor relations. Many organizations
distinguish the roles and tasks between employee relations and labor
relations. Within the Human Resources Department, Labor Relations acts
as the nexus between management, staff and employees. The labor
relations role within Human Resources is often associated with issues
such as conducting investigations, counseling and providing disciplinary
action when required. In regards to a unionized environment, human
resources can provide assistance in areas such as performance
management; planning layoffs; discipline and dismissal; interpretation
and administration of union contracts and related policies;
disputes/complaints and grievances; and mediation and negotiation of
complaints. Human Resources helps to create and maintain a more
harmonious work environment for both management and employees by
providing various interventions such as problem-solving, mediation,
counseling, or training in these areas.
Some of the key responsibilities for human resource professionals in labor relations are:
Presenting the position of the company or of labor during arbitration or other labor negotiation,
Negotiating collective bargaining agreements,
Resolving disputes between workers and managers,
Coordinating grievance procedures to handle employee complaints, and
Monitoring the company and/or workforce adherence to those agreements.
As organizations grew from local markets to become global
enterprises, human resources had to progress to understand, interact,
and address the needs of a workforce situated in a different culture,
with different values and standards. This also meant that human
resources had to recognize and adhere to various local laws as well as
international labor laws.
References:
Cristiani, A., & Peiró, J. M. (2015). Human resource function strategic
role and trade unions: exploring their impact on human resource management practices in Uruguayan firms. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 26(3), 381-400. doi:10.1080/09585192.2014.925946
Rau, B. L. (2012). The diffusion of HR practices in unions. Human Resource Management Review, 22(1), 27-42. doi:10.1016/j.hrmr.2011.06.001
Brown,
M., & Ivanov, S. (2015). Peculiarities in the human resources
processes: can the system possibly be unfair?. International
Journal…..
Budd,
J. J. (2014). Implicit Public values and the creation of publicly
valuable outcomes: The importance of work and the contested role of
labor…
Godard,
J. (Jan. 2013). Labor unions, alternative forms of representation, and
the exercise of authority relations in U.S. workplaces.
Robinson, R. R. (2014). Human beings with rights: Unions and democracy in the 21st century. Innovation Journal, 19(1),1-9.
Samnani,
A., Boekhorst, J. A., & Harrison, J. A. (2016). Institutional-level
bullying: Exploring workplace bullying during union organizing
drives….
Warner,
M., & Zhu, Y. (2018). The challenges of managing ‘new generation’
employees in contemporary China: Setting the scene. Asia Pacific
Business…
Visser,
J. (2016). What happened to collective bargaining during the great
recession?. IZA Journal of Labor Policy, 5(1), 1-35.
doi:10.1186/s40173-016
Signature Assignment Rubric
The following shows the criteria used to grade this Assignment:
Grading Rubric
Criteria
Content (20 points)
Points
1
Reviews and reflects on one or more of the major topics in this course that address the various aspects of labor relations:
Workers’ Unions
Union Laws
Union Structure
Union Organizing
Environment for Bargaining
Public Sector Labor Relations
5
2
Explores how the knowledge gained in this course provided you with an
understanding of the role of human resources in union environments as
well as the dynamics involved in a unionized organization.
5
3
Addresses what challenges human resource managers face in dealing with a unionized organization?
5
4
Shares how the material from the course and research impacts you personally and professionally.
5
Organization (10 points)
10
1
Content is organized and presented in a clear manner. Includes a
minimum of 12-15 pages and seven scholarly references, with appropriate
APA formatting applied to citations and paraphrasing.
10
Total
30
Last Completed Projects
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