Jeannine Marquez has just become the CEO of Technologies Essential. The com- pany is a 15-year-old, mid-size

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Question:

Jeannine Marquez has just become the CEO of Technologies Essential. The com- pany is a 15-year-old, mid-size computer software company. The company spe- cializes in providing products that enable users to more fully implement SAP lutions. The company is headquartered in Columbia, Missouri. Most of the 569 developers are well paid and receive tuition reimbursement and excellent health and retirement benefits.

The company rewards these employees well as they are seen as the key to the com employees are software developers. The soft ware panys success. The software developers seem content with the company but the support staf are not. They believe that they are overworked and underpaid relative to the soft- ware developers. They receive less vacation and personal leave time, are required to take compensatory time off rather than receive overtime pay when they work more than 40 hours per week, and none of them make over $42,000 a year even though many of them have worked for the company since it started and have supervisory responsibilities.

The CEO has just received a letter signed by 25 employees indicating they wish to join the Office and Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU). The letter a number of grievances including concerns about work schedules, concerns that other employees who had expressed an interest in joining a union were fired by the former CEO, and dissatisfaction with pay and benefits.

Discussion Question

1. Describe the steps that employees at Technologies Essential should take if they

2. Research the OPEIU. What would be the advantages to these employees if they

3. If employees have been fired for unionizing, do they have any recourse? want to unionize did join this union? What would be the disadvantages?

4. What advise can you provide to Jeannine Marquez about how to address the concerns of these employees? Are there legal issues regarding unionization about which she needs to be aware as she begins to address the concerns? If so, what are they?

5. What is the best advice you can give managers to ensure they are not likely to face an effort by employees to unionize?