Collective bargaining

Collective bargaining is a term that is not well liked in the management arena because it is related to the unionization of the labor force.  Collective bargaining is the process through which employees get together with the agreement to form a union. During collective bargaining a few individuals representing the labor force get together with the employers to negotiate a job contract that lays out certain employment conditions, including salaries, benefits, vacation time, work hours, safety conditions and grievance procedures. View video

The United States government recognizes the right of workers to unionize and participate in collective bargaining through the passage of the National Labor Relations Act, a federal law setting the standards and regulations in the formation of unions and the process of collective bargaining.

Law and Regulations in Collective Bargaining

This website is a YouTube video which gives important information about Collective Bargaining Law and Regulations. Many times people tend to believe that forming a union takes a lot of effort but in reality it is not all that difficult. The most important thing is that the workforce has to be united and committed to get a union to represent them, there are legalities to it but for the most part the people’s will to be unionized is the most important  part.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MqlG9FPq02c&noredirect=1

National Labor Relations Board

The following website is set and maintained by the United States government with the purpose of providing information regarding the National Labor Relations Act. This website specifies and defines the regulations provided by this Act in order to protect the rights of employees and employers and to encourage collective bargaining.

Union Leaders

There have been a few union leaders that have made a historic change for the labor force. One that comes to mind is Mr. Cesar Chavez who fought primarily for the rights of farming workers but touch the lives of many through the United Farmworkers Union (UFW).

As a result of his arduous persistence advocating for the fair employment condition for farm workers he contributed to the passage of the California Agricultural Labor Relations Act of 1975. The new law gave workers the right to secret ballot elections to choose a union, and required growers to bargain with unions that won elections.

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“Cesar Chavez’s vision didn’t include just the traditional bread and butter issues of unionism; it was about reclaiming dignity for people who were marginalized by society”. citation

The United Farmworkers Union AFL-CIO (UFW)

This website is about The United Farmworkers Union AFL-CIO (UFW) and the effort made by Cesar Chavez along with many farm workers to unionize in order to get better wages and better working conditions which are key elements for the successful relationship among employees and employers.

Agricultural Labor Relations Board

This website provides information about the California Agricultural Labor Relations Board which was created in 1975 in order to provide farm workers the right to unionize in order to negotiate for acceptable wages, good working conditions, and decent working hours among other things. All this factors contribute to the good relationship between employees and employers

Unionized teachers losing their jobs

As all of us know the recent recession in the United States caused by the plummet of the housing market and the volatility of the stock market among other factors, has brought much stress to the job market. This in turn, has triggered a raise in the unemployment rate and has had a ripple effect in our society; everywhere you look there are people being affected directly or indirectly by the loss of jobs.

Teaching has been one of the work areas that have been drastically affected by the latest recession and though the teachers in California are represented by one of the biggest unions in the state,  the California Teachers Association (CTA) has not been able to save teachers jobs, instead the union has had to be the bearer of the bad news and have notified thousands of teachers that they no longer have a job or that their contracts would not be renewed the upcoming year. "EducationNews"

This is an instance in which being represented by a union did not help.

Exporting manufacturing jobs to countries with cheaper labor

Manufacturing jobs being exported to other countries where wages are much cheaper is a great concern for the labor force in the United States. This is another touchy issue among management and the workforce because in the last years many American jobs have been exported overseas leaving many Americans without a job. In many cases workers have spent most of their lives being fateful to a company only to find out that the company is relocating out of the country, therefore leaving them without a job.

According to the AFL-CIO in an online article called Exporting America, more than 3 million manufacturing jobs have disappeared since 1998, and the Economic Policy Institute estimates that 59% of these jobs have been lost due to the explosion in the U.S. manufacturing trade deficit over the period.

Once a worker has been displaced from a job because the company is relocating, it’s harder to trust another company and work as hard because there is the feeling of uncertainty because the new company (employer) can also relocate.

Emerging industries and the effect that they have in the labor force

As all of us know the recent recession in the United States caused by the plummet of the housing market and the volatility of the stock market among other factors, has brought much stress to the job market. This in turn, has triggered a raise in the unemployment rate and has had a ripple effect in our society; everywhere you look there are people being affected directly or indirectly by the loss of jobs.
However there are some good news shown in the following link, where slowly but surely some manufacturing jobs are being created stimulating the labor force. This in turn, creates jobs and stimulates the economy. When there is more companies around, there is more competition among companies and this in turn increases the need for retention of good and reliable workers.
As the demand for workers increase, the chance for better working conditions and recognition of workers achievements in the labor force also increases.

Companies Creating New Jobs

This video shows that even though the economy has been through a bad recession, it is starting to come back. This is good for employees and employers because more jobs are being created and if the economy is doing better than in general the average company is doing better too. This in turn, creates less stressful and good working conditions in the work environment.