Union Awareness -- Retired


Overview/Description
Target Audience
Expected Duration
Lesson Objectives
Course Number



Overview/Description
After experiencing a steady decline since the early 1980s, union membership levels saw a small increase in 2007 and 2008. This change, as well as the recently proposed Employee Free Choice Act, has sparked a renewed focus on labor unions and their role in the modern workplace. As a supervisor or manager, it is important to have a basic understanding of workers' rights under the various U.S. labor laws, as well as to understand employers’ rights and obligations with respect to union activity. This course was developed with subject matter support provided by the Labor & Employment Law Group of the law firm of Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, PC. Please note, however, that the course materials and content are for informational purposes only and do not constitute legal advice. Nothing herein, or in the course materials, shall be construed as professional advice as to any particular situation or constitute a legal opinion with respect to compliance with any federal, state, or local laws. Transmission of the information is not intended to create, and receipt does not constitute, an attorney-client relationship. Readers should not act upon this information without seeking professional counsel. The information contained herein is provided only as general information that may or may not reflect the most current legal developments. This information is not provided in the course of an attorney-client relationship and is not intended to constitute legal advice or to substitute for obtaining legal advice from an attorney licensed in your state.

Target Audience
Managers and supervisors

Expected Duration (hours)
2.0

Lesson Objectives

The Legal Base of Labor Unions

  • identify the main characteristics of labor unions.
  • identify good practices for handling the formation of a union in the workplace.
  • recognize the benefits of good practices when union formation activities occur in the workplace.
  • recognize acceptable employer behavior under labor union laws.
  • identify an employer's obligations to employees under labor union laws.
  • identify the characteristics of a bargaining unit.
  • recognize the clauses in a Collective Bargaining Agreement.
  • recognize the positions, strategies, and subjects of collective bargaining.
  • Employers and the NLRB

  • identify the practices employers can use to prevent union formation in the workplace.
  • recognize the benefits of avoiding union formation in the workplace.
  • match union organizing tactics with their uses.
  • sequence the steps involved in the union recognition process.
  • sequence the process of conducting a union election.
  • recognize examples of how an employer may legally respond to union activity.
  • recognize the role of the NLRB in preventing unfair labor practices.
  • determine how an organization can comply with the NLRA in a given scenario.
  • Course Number:
    LCO0123