The Union Perspective

Labor relations play an important role in shaping the strategies and operations of businesses. Employers $($management$)$ and labor $($employees$)$ must find goals that bind them together if they want to improve their competitiveness. Effective labor relations systems provide processes and procedures that help minimize conflict and benefit management, employees, and society. Unions provide employees with a collective voice and with a union contract as a governance system. Unions represent their members' interests and resolve conflicts with employers. The first step in understanding labor relations is to recognize that there are different types of unions as well as different types of union officials. An important part of labor relations involves negotiating and enforcing a contract, which specifies employment conditions such as wages, benefits, and working conditions. Contract negotiations take place at both the national and local levels. Some unions represent employees only within a specific occupation, whereas others are more industry based.

This activity is important because HRM personnel must have a good understanding of the different types of unions and union officials. The goal of this activity is to define unions and labor relations and their role in organizations.

Read each description, then select the group to which it most closely pertalns.

Organizes employees with a particular skill or occupation $$

Membership is the result of working for a particular employer in the industry.

Involves most day$-$to$-$day interaction between labor and management

Represents employees to supervisors and others when grievances are filed

The United Steelworkers is a U$.$S$.$ union that includes workers in a broad range of occupations, including welders, pipefitters, machine operators, and laborers. $$

The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers represents only workers who are electricians. $$