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ABC Courier Company-Union Assignment...

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Case Study ABC Courier Company-Union Assignment

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Case Study ABC Courier Company-Union Assignment Question1. List five (5) complaints of the drivers and dispatchers of the ABC Courier company. Answer. The drivers and dispatchers working in the ABC courier company were facing some serious issues regarding the work ethics between the employer and the employees and enlisted the following five complaints: a. The major problem was that the wages of the employees varied and based on favoritism some employees get higher wages than others even when they do equal work. b. Another issue was that the company had made the belief and presumed that the employees will willingly work overtime with last minute notification. c. Thirdly, the situation of last-minute calls for overtime has happened to arise frequently which becomes a trouble for many of the drivers and dispatchers, especially for the women and single mothers who had to get home and fulfill family responsibilities. d. Another complaint was that the company demands some employees to come half-hour before work and were not paid for the extra 30-minute work. Moreover, employee benefits do not exist in the company. e. At last, employees who complain and frequently refused to work later or come in early were notified that they were fired due to making repetitive mistakes. Question2. Which drivers and dispatchers do you think would not want to have a union? Explain your answer. Answer- A union is an organization that acts or bargains on the behalf of all the employees. It is a way through which employees can attain equality in work, wages, and work time hours. Union stands for the employees or to grant them justice in case the company is following unfair practices. There are numerous benefits of the union but still, some of the employees

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(drivers and dispatchers) do not want to have a union, if the voting criteria are noticed then 30% of workers did not want a union. The drivers and dispatchers who do not want a union can have various reasons for not having one. a. The employees who are getting superior treatment by the employers will lose it if the union comes into existence. Employers will not be able to show favoritism because of equality among all employers. b. The cost of a union can be up to $200 to several thousand dollars per year which not all the employees can afford. Therefore, the cost can be the reason for workers who don’t want an organization. c. Some employees might think that working with a union can cause less cooperative environment with the employers. Therefore, it will become the situation for the workers that they will become more as underlings and less as partners with the employer. d. The employees who are the breadwinner of their families might have fear losing their job because of the union. e. Every employer wants to work independently in the company so the workers who think that they might lose their freedom because of the union’s decision in the majority which sometimes is not for the employee but to show the company that it would not cause harm to their workers. So, such decisions do not help employees but worsen their job. Question3. List some of the ways in which a union could help the drivers and dispatchers of the ABC Courier Company. Answer. It is hard for some employees to speak with companies about the workforce problems. A union can help the drivers and dispatchers, giving them an independent voice in setting terms and work conditions. It can also support employees to reduce rate inequality, improve work conditions, and create benefits. According to Noe et al. (2015) “Unions can

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help achieve important worker goals, including not only higher wages, but also worker protection, and giving workers a say in their workplaces” (page 577). Initially, a union can represent employees and negotiate with organizations how payments will be determined, avoiding the possibility of having an arbitrary treatment, with a focus on equal pay. It is also necessary to finish with favouritism at the company and distinguish the employees through good performance recognition. Not treating everyone equally can bring a sense of resentment and demotivate employees. Beyond differences in pay, unions can also bargain with the company work hours and overtime. Workers who work overtime long hours can have detrimental effects and also their families. Union can negotiate for better working conditions and work-related concerns. Noe et al. (2015) wrote that “A major goal of unions is bargaining effectiveness, because with it comes the power and influence to make the employees’ voices heard and to effect changes in the workplace” (page 583). Apart from negotiating for better work conditions and wages, a union can seek additional benefits, such as health insurance and retirement plans. The union can negotiate these benefits with the ABC Courier Company and ensure that the employees access them. Question4. Why was ABC management unhappy about the union applying for the certification? -

What did they try to do?

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Why did they not succeed?

Answer: ABC Courier Company had put itself into the situation where their relationship with the employees was damaged due to their attitude towards them. The employees were being treated unfairly and also were taken for granted. ABC management was not happy as the union had applied an application for the certification as a bargaining agent. A bargaining

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agent means a union that has the sole authority to act or bargain on behalf of the employees. The management was unhappy because with the formation of the union in the company they might have less control over the employees and the matters related to them. Therefore, the employer has to work with the union hand in hand or there will be bargaining in every area of employee job related to wages, work hours, overtime, etc. The company had tried to right its wrongs by increasing the wages of all the employees but the damage was already done. As an application was already received by the government and it issued the vote order at the workplace. After a week, a polling station was set up at ABC company by the government representative and through this process, it will be determined that whether the employees wanted a union. The company did not succeed in stopping the employees as the union won the certification because 70% of employees were in favor to join the union. Effect of certification: After the certification, the employer can no longer bargain with individual employees concerning terms and conditions of employment. Upon certification, the employee must bargain with the union who acts as the exclusive bargaining agent for the employees. The process of collective bargaining begins with the certification come into effect. Question5. Do you think employees who provide essential services should have the right to strike? Explain your answer. Answer- According to section 2 of ILO, act 1947 (International Labor Organization act), essential services mean services, by whomsoever rendered, and whether rendered to the Government or to any other person, the interruption of which would endanger the life, health, or personal safety of the whole or part of the population. The supervisory bodies of the ILO have brought greater precision to the concept of essential services in the strict sense of the term (for which strike action may be prohibited). The ILO’s Committee on Freedom of

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Association has considered being essential services in the strict sense, where the right to strike may be subject to major restrictions or even prohibitions cause whereas in general essential services which do not come under strict sense are not prohibited to strike. For example, the employees of Hunts Point Produce Market, situated in New York City, are on strike because their demand for a wage increase was not considered. These employees are the essential workers who supply 60 percent of New York City’s produce, with workers handling and unloading the more than 210 million pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables that pass through the market yearly. These workers keep their city fed. Having risked their lives throughout the year in 2020 (due to COVID-19), the workers, members of Teamsters Local 202, sought a raise of a mere $1 per hour in their new contract. Negotiations broke down when the management of Hunts Point refused, offering an hourly boost of only 32 cents. The workers of Hunts Point market are paying out of their pocket for the medicinal needs. Therefore, majority of employees of that market voted to go on strike. This is the first strike at the Hunts Point market in 35 years, happening in January 2021. The strike will pertain till employers accept their demands as the employees refused to accept the bargaining of 32 cents. Although, there is no federal law to strike for the employees who provide essential services, if they are not getting sufficient wages, then there is no problem to go on strike. Question6. Would you like to belong to a union? Explain your choice. Answer – A union is formed of the members of workers who elect a representative to raise the voice against the injustice being done with them by their employers. From an employee’s perspective, I would prefer to belong to a union because of the following reasons: 1. It acts as the medium of communication between employer and employee to put forth the issues and find a negotiable solution. For example, negotiating for higher wages, overtime, holidays, pension, etc.

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2. The unions are considered to be champions to fight against the discrimination of equal work opportunities for workers. For example, the union can bargain with the management to maintain equality among workers through the seniority-based method. 3. As compared to seeking Lawful aid against injustice which is time-consuming, expensive, and slow, the unions can bring more fruitful and cost-effective results as their purpose is to solve the conflicts through the medium of negotiation without stretching the matter too far. 4. The unions work as a shield for the labor in the organization as they campaign for safe and healthy work conditions. Also, this boosts the workers' capability to say No to dangerous work without having fear of losing the job.

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References 1. Human Resource Management- Gaining a competitive advantage by Noe, Hollenbeck, Gerhart, wright (ed.10th, 2015). 2. https://careertrend.com/info-7756905-disadvantages-being-union-member.html 3. https://fairygodboss.com/career-topics/pros-and-cons-of-unions 4. https://www.fim-musicians.org/wp-content/uploads/right_to_strike_en.pdf 5. https://www.epi.org/blog/thousands-of-workers-have-gone-on-strike-during-thecoronavirus-labor-law-must-be-reformed-to-strengthen-this-fundamental-right/ 6. https://newrepublic.com/article/161019/covid-essential-workers-strike 7. https://www.ilo.org/legacy/english/dialogue/ifpdial/llg/ch5/ex4.htm...