Labor management relations are a complex field in both the practical and legal aspects of the U.S. jurisdiction. I will address the most important elements in the chapter. I will apply the question posed, and I will discuss why public sector employees need to know these things. Understanding the laws and guidelines which regulate unions is important for successful personnel performance and union formation and behavior in a manner that is both effective in achieving its objectives and remaining legal as a labor-management relations entity.
The five important concepts from this chapter are:
- In labor management, labor refers to the workers while management to the organization/government managers that oversee them, with labor engaging in collective bargaining for legally binding terms of employment.
- Public unions are complex and differ in regulating legislation dependent on the level of government, type of profession, and their rights, with frameworks, both trickling down from the federal level but also shifting based on legal environment and region.
- When engaging in collective bargaining both sides should approach the issue to bargain in good faith, but frameworks on bargaining, meet-and-confer, or negotiation have to follow certain regulations such as which topics are allowed, permissive, and fully prohibited when engaging in discussions.
- Similar to the decline of the authority of private unions, the PHRM reforms are seeking to disarm public unions arguing that they are costly and disruptive.
- Modern reforms and policies are disrupting the influence and capabilities of public labor unions through decentralization and deregulation which provides more power to management (Battaglio 266).
The most important concept is #5, which indicates that the PHRM reform is targeted and disrupting the power of public labor unions. Equitable and justified reform is nearly impossible to achieve in such conditions due to government frameworks.
The importance of this concept is that public sector employees deserve the capabilities to negotiate and rights just like private employees. This matters to public sector employees because the next time they are faced with a situation where unionizing and bargaining are necessary, they will find themselves without effective structure and representation. This may affect the day-to-day work as management in the current legislative climate will potentially be more willing to violate good-faith practices and push workers too far to achieve productivity goals.
Understanding the laws and guidelines which regulate unions is important for successful personnel performance and union formation and behavior in a manner that is both effective in achieving its objectives and remaining legal as a labor-management relations entity. The reform frameworks coming into place are severely restricting these capabilities, placing the future of unions in jeopardy.
Work Cited
Battaglio, Paul R. Jr. Public Human Resource Management: Strategies and Practices in the 21st Century. Dallas, CQ Press, 2014.