1. ENGM 742: Engineering Management and Labor Relations

2. Some Terms Labor Relations Employee Representation
activities of unions and management in negotiating and implementing collective bargaining agreements
Employee Representation
union acting as employee’s agent for issues of wages, hours, and terms and conditions of employment
Collective Bargaining
“collective” = exclusive representation by one party
“bargaining” = negotiations

3. Some History (in the US)
Early Unions (pre-Civil War)
National Unions
Labor Unrest
Trade Union Success and Apathy
Industrial Unions
Power, Balance, and Mergers

4. Legislation Railway Labor Act (1926) Norris-LaGuardia Act (1932)
Wagner Act (National Labor Relations Act, 1935)
Taft-Hartley Act (1947)
Landrum-Griffin Act (1959)
And others…

5. A Few Legislative Highlights
National Labor Relations Board
Unfair Labor Practices
Representation Elections
Right-to-Work Laws
National Emergency Disputes

6. Fair Labor Standards Act (1938)
Minimum standards for both wages and overtime entitlement
Administrative procedures for worktime compensation
Child labor
Equal Pay
Some workers expressly exempted
Applied to federal employees in 1974

7. Federal Departments and Agencies
Department of Labor
Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service
National Mediation Board
National Labor Relations Board

8. Union Governance Local Union National Union Union Finances
Organization receipts and disbursements
Pension administration

9. Labor Relations
Source: John W. Budd

10. Major Subjects of Collective Bargaining
Compensation
Personnel Policies and Procedures
Employee Rights and Responsibilities
Employer Rights and Responsibilities
Union Rights and Responsibilities
Dispute Resolution and Ongoing Decision-Making

11. Business Pressures on Collective Bargaining
Conflict between
Flexibility and detailed work rules
Cooperation/employee involvement and traditional adversarial bargaining
Flexibility/involvement and staggered, formal negotiating periods

12. Walton and McKersie’s Four Bargaining Types
Distributive Bargaining – the goals of the two parties are in conflict and one side’s gain is achieved at the expense of the other
Integrative Bargaining – both sides have mutual goals and the bargaining focuses on how goals may be achieved to the satisfaction of both sides
Attitudinal Structuring – the positive and/or negative attitudes that each side develops toward the other as negotiations proceed
Intra-organizational Bargaining – bargaining performed by negotiators within their own organization while bargaining with another party

13. Around the World: United States
Union Density
15 %
Falling
Bargaining Level
Mostly workplace or company
Key Features
Exclusive representation
Business unionism
Detailed contracts

14. Around the World: Canada
Union Density
35 %
Stable
Bargaining Level
Mostly workplace or company
Key Features
Exclusive representation
Moving towards social unionism

15. Around the World: Mexico
Union Density
25 %
Bargaining Level
Government control
Key Features
Detailed contracts
Strong constitutional protections, but weak, tightly controlled unions

16. Around the World: Great Britain
Union Density
30 %
Falling
Bargaining Level
Mostly workplace or company
Key Features
Voluntarism
Wildcat Strikes
Labour Party

17. Around the World: Germany
Union Density
30 % (90% coverage)
Stable
Bargaining Level
Industry
Key Features
Codetermination
Extension of agreements to entire industry
Many mandated benefits

18. Around the World: Australia
Union Density
30 %
Falling
Bargaining Level
Occupational awards
Workplace negotiations
Key Features
Arbitration awards
Craft or occupation unions
Wildcat strikes

19. Around the World: Japan
Union Density
25 %
Falling
Bargaining Level
Company
Key Features
Enterprise unions
Cooperative relationships
Spring labor offensive

20. For Review
How might the IP agreement required by the organization impact the relationship between the employee and the manager? Between the employee and other employees?
How do views of the three key concepts in the labor relations model differ for labor and management?
What, in your opinion, are the most significant motivating factors for the tenor of the relationship between employees and managers? Justify your answer.