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Student 1:

Gary Jenkins 

HR Preparation for Union Negotiations 

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Now that the employees successfully organized, the HR manager must develop strategies to begin collectively bargaining with the representatives of the newly formed union.  The manager will develop a decentralized bargaining approach (Budd, 2013).  As a public school, there are many limits to what concessions the employer could give.  Funding comes from state budgets and local tax revenues.  Many of the operational policies are codified in federal and state law.  Several factors beyond the employer’s control will affect the bargaining power between the parties, squelching the environment in which they bargain (Budd, 2013).  The manager will need to provide the representatives detailed financial statements and approved budgets, along with a description of the laws, policies, and procedures that govern operation and costs.  It will also need to provide details concerning both employer provided and voluntary benefits (Budd, 2013).  Having provided information to the representative, what can the manager expect to come from collective bargaining?

Chase and Stocks (2015) detailed a history of the nation’s largest union, National Education Association.  Along with the NEA is the American Federation of Teachers.  Due to plummeting memberships and factions within the two groups over education reform, it is safe to assume the manager will not face drastic requests that would negatively affect the school system’s ability to achieve its mission of educating children.  What the manager can expect are conversations regarding seniority rights, wages, benefits, professional learning, governance councils, and innovative processes that lead to better teacher effectiveness and student achievement (Anzia & Moe, 2014; Donaldson et al., 2013).  Based on federal and state statute, the district will be providing required wages and fairly implementing personnel policies.  There are limits to what the district can do in these areas.  The district may consider reviewing its employee benefits package to see if there could be better benefits available to offer.  The district may consider new ways to provide professional learning and teacher support.  It may also consider ways to improve the working conditions and culture within the schools.  Opening communication channels and allowing faculty greater input in operational and decision making is another consideration (Donaldson et al., 2013).  However, transfer and placement rights based on seniority negatively impact school districts by allowing more experienced teachers to avoid difficult teaching assignments.  This puts districts in the position of placing inexperienced teachers in difficult assignments, which disadvantages students by preventing an equal distribution of experienced teachers (Anzia & Moe, 2014).  Placement and transfer rights is not something the district should consider and the district should prepare to resist any request for these seniority based rights.

As the union representative, a thorough review of financial statements, laws and policies, benefit details and other information provided will show the best chances to gain concessions from the employer.  Where can governance teams benefit the district, and provide leadership opportunities to employees?  Can the district establish committees to review and explore better benefits for the employees?  Can the district sponsor and pay for professional learning and/or allow educators to be absent to attend training?  How can the district honor longevity (Anzia & Moe, 2014; Donaldson et al., 2013)?  The union can prepare to request concessions within the districts control and ability and avoid requesting concessions it knows the district cannot provide.  This type of integrative bargaining will position both parties to work together without taking a defensive posture (Budd, 2013).  The goal is win/win in this process.

“Those who serve are to be treated fairly and with respect.  Jesus Christ himself chose to be a servant and lays responsibility of service on those who follow” (Manser, 2009, theme #5522).  Jesus told a parable in Matthew 20:1–16 that lays that responsibility for us to follow.  In verses 4 and 8, Jesus said: “4. . .You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.’ . . . 8“When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last group to the first’” (NASB).  The district honors its employees by conceding where it can in the collective bargaining process.  What it agrees upon as right, the district will do.

References

 Anzia, S. & Moe, T.  (2014).  Collective bargaining, transfer rights, and disadvantaged students.  Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 36(1), 83-111.  doi: 10.3102/01623737413500524.

 Budd, J.  (2013).  Labor relations: Striking a balance (4th ed.).  New York, NY:McGraw-Hill Co., Inc.

 Chase, B. & Stocks, J.  (2015).  Teacher unions and the war within.  Education Next, 15(1), 28-35.  Retrieved from http://educationnext.org/teachers-unions-war-within/.

 Donaldson, M., Mayer, A., Cobb, C., LeChasseur, K., & Welton, A.  (2013).  New roles for teachers unions?  Reform unionism in school decentralization.  Journal for Educational Change, 14(1), 50”-525.  doi:10.1007/s10833-013-9214-9.

 Manser, M.  (2009).  Dictionary of Bible Themes: The Accessible and Comprehensive Tool for Topical Studies.  London: Martin Manser.

Student 2

Abigail Ryan 

DB Forum

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BUSI 343 – DB 2

Movies, TV shows, and novels are full of stories about unions and strikes in which the conflict is presented as inevitable—often the union defined as the “good guy” and the employers or owners of the organizations shown as the “bad guy.” According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary (2017), a union is “something that is made one: something formed by a combining or coalition of parts or members, such as a confederation of independent individuals for some common purpose” (“union”). More specifically, a labor union is “an organization of workers formed for the purpose of advancing its members’ interest in respect to wages, benefits, and working conditions” (Merriam-Webster Dictionary, 2017, “labor unions”).

There is always a question as to what the manager’s responsibility is when it comes to a labor union arising (Kim, Liu, & Yun, 2015). Employees can unionize about a wide range of issues, and during a union organizing drive, the managers or employers will likely try to convince employees that joining a union is not in their or the company's best interests (Kim, Liu, & Yun, 2015). The entire purpose of the employer/manager in the case of the union is to calm the conflict down in order that the organization’s progress can get back on track and productivity can continue (Neto, de Amorim, Aparecido & Fischer, 2016). The union representative, however, has different priorities—ones that focus on a change in the company, in the treatment of the employees, or whatever issue it is that the union if centering on (Neto, de Amorim, Aparecido & Fischer, 2016).

The bible doesn’t have anything to say specifically regarding labor unions and the ethicalness therein, but it does have a lot to say regarding the relationship between worker and master, such as Exodus 21:20, which says, “When a man strikes his slave, male or female, with a rod and the slave dies under his hand, he shall be avenged” (ESV). This is obviously not a scenario that happens often in today’s workforce, but the essence of the situation is this: A manager is not to treat their employees unfairly.

References

Kim, J. J., Liu, M., & Yun, J. K. (2015). REGULATORY SCRUTINY, LABOR UNIONS, AND PENSION FREEZES. Journal of Business and Accounting, 8(1), 3-14. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.liberty.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu/docview/1731543572?accountid=12085

Neto, A. C., de Amorim, W.,Aparecido Costa, & Fischer, A. L. (2016). Top human resources managers views on trade union action in brazilian corporations. Brazilian Administration Review, 13(4), 1-23. doi:http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.liberty.edu/10.1590/1807-7692bar2016160066

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