Question

(TCO H) If the collective bargaining process is to be successful, it is important that both sides come prepared to bargain. This means that both management and labor must make plans and develop a strategy before they even look across the table at the other party. It is often this preparation that determines to what extent one side gets its way more than the other side. It is impossible to walk into negotiations without knowing the costs that are potentially involved in the new contract arrangement. Clearly the union is well-prepared with their wish list and with as many facts and figures as they can find to bolster their position. Management does much the same thing to trade off items on the table. (a) Select what you consider to be the key pre-negotiation preparation steps that can be taken by the union. (b) Select what you consider to be the key pre-negotiation preparation steps that can be taken by management. (c) Compare and contrast the historical elements that help us understand the current structure of the union.

Answer 1

A) The key pre-negotiation steps that should be taken by the union are:

• Clear objective: The first step should be to identify the objective of the dispute, what is the objective that the union is tring to achieve.
• Prepare the list of terms: Second thing to do is to create a list of terms that the union wants to get fulfilled.
• Decide the degree of action: The union have to decide how far they are willing to go for their terms to get accepted.
• Will there be a strike?: The union have to decide will they go on strike or will they negotiate without it.
• Choose a representative: Although there is always a union leader but a team or a individual can be selected for the perticual negotiation.
• non-union employees: Last suggesion is to find out what non union employees think of the condition of the union and if they will support them or not, r is their situation same as the union in that case, will they join the union or not.

B) The key pre-negotiation steps that should be taken by the management are:

• Understand the reason: The first step is to identify the problem, what is the problem that triggerd this dispute between the union and management.
• Solution without the negotiation: Try to find out is there a way to solve the problem without having a dispute meeting or union strike.
• Degree of negotiation: The management have to decide how far they can take the negotiation and how many terms they can agree to.
• What if the strike struck: What will the management do is the union goes on a strike.
• Safe place and time of negotiation: The management is responsible for arranging the negotiation meeting, at best suited place and time, a place where there is no chance of a union riot.
• Clear things with non-union employees: The management should try to get the non union employees to their side or atleast try and make them to be neutral.

C) There are many historical events where disputes among the management and union shook the world. By looking at them we understand the current structure of union and their reasons for standing up to their employers for themselves. Some these famous historical events where union stood strong against the management are:

• Southwest Railroad Stike (1886): In 1886 the around 200,000 workers went on strike because they claimed that the work place was not safe and the working hours were more and pay was less.
• Anthracite coal Strike (1902): The coal mine workers (147,000) went on strike for better wages, but the management tried to make them drop the strike and failed, in 1903 mine workers got 10 percent raise.
• Pullman strike (1894): whole chicago shook when 250,000 factory workes decided to go on strike against the Pullman palace car company, because they were working 12 hours a ay and thw wages have been reduced on the name of depressed economy.

All these examples shows us one thing that a management may be responsible for handling the workers and work but if the worker union is not happy or satisfied the they are having another thing coming for them. A strike is never good for management, wheather they agree to the terms or not they will face a have loos in productivity, and on the other hand strike is a very useful tool for union to be get heard.