The Changing Face of Management and Union Roles in the Evolving Workforce

The Changing Face of Management and Union Roles in the Evolving Workforce

Dacia Florencio-Eady

BUS 372 Employee & Labor Relations

Charles Pugh

07 October 2013

The roles of labor unions and management have begun to undergo changes within our society. The working relationships among the two have also changed. Implementing, creating, and maintaining professional relationships between labor unions and management contribute to the growth of the economy. Just like any good relationship, each partner must contribute to the relationship in order for it to be a success. The organizations that will be a success and that will be able to endure the changing landscape of the national economy will be one that has a symbiotic relationship between the workers and the management.

Early in man’s progression it has been the inclination of workers to try and better their conditions, the early settlers before they left England wanted to change the way they were treated, as did the slaves in the Americas. It has also been the inclination of employers to try and get more for less. They want the most work and maximum production from employees with the least amount of pay on their behalf. It is now the tendency for workers in the auto industry to form unions to help them in their fight for better working conditions (Addison, 1989). Unions play a crucial role in representing the interests pertaining to the conditions of employment of every unionized employee, as well as aiding in the continuous growth of the economy. The most common role of unions is to negotiate with employers on matters of pay, working conditions, job security, and other important issues. This is the Collective Bargaining process (Sloane, 2010) . The overall goal of collective bargaining is to come to a mutual agreement between the employer and employees on such issues, and settle on a contract that will stand for a certain period of time. In situations where an employer will not compromise to the...