1 paragraph for each answer, very easy. due in 4 hours

When Fred Crawford became president of Thompson Products in 1933, he was determined to keep the company from becoming unionized. Appointing Livingstone as the director of personnel; consequently, lead to the establishment of an employment office, new policies, and member organizations. Thompson’s upper management used a strategy that spoke to an entire community of workers. Becoming intimately familiar with employees and promoting a sense of togetherness worked in the company’s favor. Two philosophies that guided management were authoritarian mayosim and communitarianism. The majority of Thompson employees were entrenched in the belief that they were a part of the family. Let’s not forget the importance of free speech. While many of Thompson’s tactics can be seen as dirty, it helped to accomplish the outcome management was able to live with.

b) Why did the NLRB repeatedly disestablish Thompson’s company unions, including the AAWA and the BIW as well as the AWA, despite the UAW’s repeated losses in union elections?

The NLRB was convinced that each time there was an ILU established at Thompson, is was company-dominated. Thompson was notorious for their coercive behaviors. The NLRB was extremely strict and did not give considerations to newly established unions. Seems like they applied the philosophy that old habits die hard.

c) Why did the Sixth Circuit Court change its mind and reverse the NLRB in 1947, allowing the AWA?

In 1947, the Sixth Circuit Court deemed the NLRB to be overbearing when it came to election conduct at Thompson. The AWA was now recognized as a a lawful functioning ILU. In support of this recognition, we can say that not call company created unions become bound to thier creators.

d) Given that Thompson was a supplier to the major auto makers, how might the AWA have given it a competitive advantage with respect to the wages it paid hence the prices it charged?

Thompson Products kept its prices lower than the big automakers in order to entice business; however, their workers were paid comparable wages to UAW workers. The AWA could have given Thompson a competitive edge f they incorporated an incentive plan related to employee production. Instead of having all employee paid at higher wages, employees would be compenstated with bonus pay for additional productiveity.

At Thompson Products, why did the UAW repeatedly lose elections at the TAPCO plant?

a. Jacoby asserts that the UAW repeatedly lost its elections at TAPCO because management would engage in coercive practices—including captive audience speeches—attacking the UAW. In addition, the AWA was effective at meeting the needs of the workers (which, combined with the management tactics, made workers more wary of outside unions).

2. Why did the NLRB repeatedly disestablish Thompson’s company unions, including the AAWA and the BIW as well as the AWA, despite the UAW’s repeated losses in union elections?

a. The NLRB would repeatedly disestablish Thompson unions because they had reason to believe that the company unions were “dominated” by management, and not in a position to best represent the workers. The UAW was also able to present evidence that management was involved in coercive practices, affecting the outcome of the elections in favor of the company unions.

3. Why did the Sixth Circuit Court change its mind and reverse the NLRB in 1947, allowing the AWA?

a. The Sixth Circuit Court felt that the NLRB approach to Thompson elections was “dictatorial.”

4. Given that Thompson was a supplier to the major auto makers, how might the AWA have given it a competitive advantage with respect to the wages it paid hence the prices it charged?

a. If the AWA could agree to lower wages (lowering the cost of production), Thompson would be able to underprice its competitors, making it a much more desirable supplier for the major automakers.

A. The UAW repeatedly lost elections at the TAPCO plant because it never gained popularity. They had little to show for their efforts. The AAWA dominated the TAPCO plant by maintaining a daily presence there. The UAW was not as successful as the AAWA in bargaining for pay increases and the seniority plan.

B. The NLRB repeatedly disestablished Thompson's company unions because it felt that they were fully demonstrating employee free speech employee speech. They were instructing coercing employees. The employees were never given the opportunity to freely choose their own representatives because the unions were too dominating and controlling.

C. The 6th circuit changed its mind and reverse the NLRB in 1947, allowing the AWA because it opposed the board's dictatorial approach to elections at Thompson and it recognized the AWA as lawful.

D. The AWA might have given Thompson a competitive advantage with respect to wages in that AWA workers earned as much as UAW members at other big firms. The AWA was able to help Thompson keep up with the pay trends and good benefits of other large auto firms. It was one of the driving forces of their campaigns.

A. From the very beginning, the Thompson company paid attention to regulation of relations issues. For example, the company could sponsor social or athletic activities. Later, when Fred Crawford became a president, three new membership organizations were established. These organizations helped the management to keep track on "trends of thought developing in organization" (p 21) Also, attitude surveys and meetings with employees helped to develop personal contact and convince them that national unions were not helpful for their company. Paying attention to employees, giving them more rights and freedom (even to strike), the company created the feeling of loyalty among employees. Loyalty is the main factor which UAW didn't take into account. The Thompson company was not the ideal company, but it knew how to solve problems with employees in such way that they would believe and respect it.

B. NLRB found that these organizations were dominated. For example, NLRB considered AWA to be more advisory agency where employees didn't have freedom to choose the representative and were limited by management.

NLRB’s opinion was that a company-created union could not act against the management of the company. NLRB considered that the employees were influenced by management by a way that they didn't know what is better for them.

C. The Sixth Circuit Court change its mind and reverse the NLRB in 1947, because "the free speech" was a public issue, meaning that Thompson managers were free to give speeches against the UAW.

D. Thompson’s wages were not the highest ones according to wages of other plants. In spite of this fact, the work in this company was considered as the well-paid work. The workers had various types of benefits (for example, senior plan). Also, the ILU was interested in prosperity of the company and did not make the company lose money in vein.

At Thompson Products, why did the UAW repeatedly lose elections at the TAPCO plant?

UAW repeatedly lost elections at the TAPCO plant because of AAWA. AAWA increase the pay of workers and maintained a daily presence in the plant as a result of its grievance system and other activities. The UAW, on the other hand was slow to show any progress even with a two-year campaign. When elections took place, UAW only received one third of the votes at Main.

B) Why did the NLRB repeatedly disestablish Thompson’s company unions, including the AAWA and the BIW as well as the AWA, despite the UAW’s repeated losses in union elections?

In March 1941 a trial examiner found the AAWA to be a dominated organization and ordered Thompson to disestablish it. The NLRB later realized that AAWA had grown out of the TPEA and was dangerous in the sense that management controlled it. NLRB made an exception for those who had been bargaining for at least two years and was previously dominated by ILUs to appear on the ballot only if employers agree not to take over.

C) Why did the Sixth Circuit Court change its mind and reverse the NLRB in 1947, allowing the AWA?

In June, the Sixth Circuit Court overturned the NLRB’s disestablishment of the AWA. Not only did the court find AWA to be lawful, but also it sharply criticized the board’s dictatorial approach to election conduct at Thompson. A year later the AWA was recognized at Main and the AWA continued to represent workers there until the plants were sold in 1986.

Given that Thompson was a supplier to the major automakers, how might the AWA have given it a competitive advantage with respect to the wages it paid hence the prices it charged?

The AWA was never a leader in pay and benefits, however they were better than ILUs. ILUs weren’t as effective in handling wages and hours than in handling other matters. In order to motivate automotive firms, Thompson kept pay lower than those of the bigger automakers. The pay of the AWA members was neck to neck with the UAW members. Thompson was rated the best paying local firms, even though its wages were lower than some other firms.