Labor Relations

Saint Leo University

June 8, 2017

Question #1

A tougher anti-union response would be anticipated by the manufacturing industry for several reasons; mainly, because the employees in this industry are typically inexperienced, the employers maintain the control of who is hired as well as decide the employee’s work location. The employer would be in totally in control. “This approach has been labeled the “drive system” and held sway in manufacturing for most of the first third of the 20th century.” (Fossum, 2015, pp. 198-199)

In 2013, Honda’s employees in Ohio were mostly union employees; whereas, employees at their Indiana plant did not belong to unions. As this was a post-recession affect, union members were not being hired at Honda. Nearly a half-million new employees were hired in the manufacturing industry in the United States. Of these employees, less than 5% were non-union. Apparently, this is the new trend “underscores a central conundrum in the “manufacturing renaissance” that President Obama loves to tout as an economic accomplishment: The new manufacturing jobs are different from the ones that delivered millions of American workers a ticket to the middle class over the past half-century.” (Tankersley, 2013)

Question #2

A “labor-management cooperation is a state of relations where labor and management work hand-in-hand to accomplish certain goals using mutually acceptable means. It is the outcome of a continuing process of enhancing” (Republic of the Philippines, 2016)

In the past, unions have had bad experiences with labor-management cooperative programs. They also shy away from these programs because of legal risks. These types of programs have a tendency to interfere with the communication between the employees and management in regards to the collective bargaining process, salaries, and the employee’s working conditions. These issues can be noted as long-term in nature. Once the lines of communication are broken, it can be very hard to gain that confidence in both parties.

References

Fossum, J. (2015). Employer Resistance before World War II. In Labor Relations: Development, Structure, Process, Twelfth Edition (pp. 198-199). New York: McGraw Hill Education. Republic of the Philippines, D. o. (2016, June 8). Labor-Management Cooperation. Retrieved from https://www.goiam.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/images_articles_headquarters_departments_hpwo-partnerships_philippinesdol.pdf Tankersley, J. (2013, January 16). As manufacturing bounces back from recession, unions are left behind. Retrieved from The Washington Post: Business: https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/as-manufacturing-bounces-back-from-recession-unions-are-left-behind/2013/01/16/4b4a7368-5e88-11e2-90a0-73c8343c6d61_story.html?utm_term=.34f9d6cfbf98