Labor Unions in the Workplace: Working with Labor Unions (Includes Simulation)
Overview/Description Expected Duration Course Number Overview/Description
Unions in the United States have focused on business unionism, working for improved wages, benefits, and working conditions. As the political pendulum swings back to governmental support of unions, business must move away from aggressive attacks on unions to a strategy of cooperation. In this course, you will develop strategies to deal with labor unions. By working with unions, you can avoid creating a hostile work environment dominated by a sense of struggle between management and labor. If you are a front-line supervisor, you won''t have to battle with shop stewards and employees to improve productivity. You won''t be inundated with grievances that impact the work flow. You will also establish an atmosphere where union employees feel they have a voice in the decision-making process, allowing them to feel ownership of their labor. Cooperation with unions can give you more flexibility in your decision-making than if you adopt a hostile attitude toward union reps, forcing them into a kind of legalistic position where they insist on narrow interpretations of the contract.