The concept of Unions predates the era of Ancient Rome. The age of the Industrial Revolution in Britain roped in an increased number of women, children and immigrants in large numbers to work in the industries. This resulted in growing conflicts between the workers and the employers. Unions were borne as a result of this conflict.
Unions were influential in solving labour issues and bringing about labour welfare measures. Unions today are found mostly in the public sector and rarely in private sectors too. Unions are set up to basically have a say in deciding the work culture of a particular workplace. Workers collectively form Unions and decide the required wage, working hours, social security and other welfare measures.
The Union provides the demands of the workers to the employer or the organization, and a contract is signed between the Union and the organization. A unionized workplace provides the decision-making power to the Union in matters related to workers. Non-union refers to workplaces where there is an absence or prohibition of Unions. Non-union workplaces are pretty common, especially in the private sector. A non-unionized employee can negotiate on their own behalf and an employer is allowed to treat employees differently subject of course to disallowed human rights considerations.
If a non-unionized employee wanted a raise, they could just ask for one and the employer could grant one, generally without it having larger ramifications for the wider workforce. Unions are all about fair and equal treatment. Collective agreements will usually contain specific provisions by which an employer is allowed to promote an employee. Seniority is generally very important and in many cases, the employer will have to give the promotion to the most senior applicant, provided all applicants are equally qualified.
Perks like vacation scheduling, shift selection and overtime opportunity are generally allocated in order of seniority, with the most senior employees getting the first picks. Check out some union reality highlights from this job ad for a City of Ottawa Bus Operator:. Some companies even provide plant workers extensive training and education so they can move into white-collar positions.
Promotion of insiders to good jobs gets attention from company employees. Up-from-the-ranks supervisors who have benefited from such a policy have reason to be loyal and enthusiastic. Indeed, their attitude may contribute to the higher rates of productivity that many of these companies claim. Promotion from within also helps a company maintain a consistent philosophy as the organization grows larger. Unlike newcomers, veteran managers know many employees personally and are familiar with several different jobs and operations.
They also serve as excellent role models for employees wishing to follow in their tracks. But remember: extensive reliance on promotion from within requires reliable initial hiring practices and good career development programs.
Not only are the personnel departments of the companies studied usually extremely centralized, they also have access to and in many cases are part of top management. More than half of the personnel vice presidents I interviewed report directly to the presidents of their companies.
At a few of these companies, the head of personnel is a member of the board of directors. The personnel departments of the companies studied are well staffed. Many have at least one professional person per employees. Many also devote much attention to training and encouraging personnel people. At one predominantly nonunion company, trainees in employee relations get experience in a union plant, a nonunion plant, and finally in a corporate staff assignment. When a department manager is accountable for the results of an employee attitude survey or the number of complaints filed by his or her subordinates, the expert advice of the personnel department suddenly takes on relevance.
As might be expected, the 26 companies in my sample work hard to ensure that employees perceive their pay and benefits policies as equitable. All of them, therefore, compensate their employees at least as well as their unionized competitors do. The companies studied thus pay well by both industry and community standards. The nonunion companies watch carefully the union settlements of competitors.
Also, the nonunion businesses make careful and thorough attempts to communicate with workers about their pay increases and benefit improvements. Few of the companies studied will likely ever be vulnerable to a union drive on the basis of either benefits or pay.
These companies also give particular attention to making their benefits visible. One company, for example, presents an annual slide show at each local office comparing its benefits with those of its organized competitors.
They not only tell managers and supervisors about the changes beforehand, but personnel staffers also provide them with answers to possible questions from employees. Some nonunion companies argue that what might appear to be very generous provisions are highly cost effective. For instance, the medical facilities for employees at some companies seem lavish. Polaroid, for one, has on call its own orthopedists, dermatologists, and other specialists—in company facilities.
Polaroid managers argue that this is much less expensive than medical insurance payments. Furthermore, employees spend less time away from work when medical professionals come to them. Many nonunion companies also place heavy emphasis on merit increases, which either substitute for or supplement across-the-board pay increases. According to its proponents, such pay systems can serve as an incentive and will encourage greater work effort. In the same spirit, many of the companies studied pay blue-collar workers salaries instead of hourly wages.
About half of the companies have no hourly employees at all. The allowances for illness or personal business included in salaries impart respect and responsibility to the worker that are absent when labor is rewarded strictly by the time clock.
Besides being consistent with the principle of equal treatment, salary plans differentiate the employee in status from his or her friends at other companies in the same industry or community. Other common forms of supplementary compensation include profit sharing, company-matched savings and investment plans, and employee stock purchase plans. Profit sharing and stock ownership can also help employees to identify with the company, motivate them to work for its success, and further their understanding of the economics of the business.
Such programs often distinguish large nonunion companies from comparable organized corporations in the eyes of employees. A number of these companies exclude supervisors from the upward communication process, so employees feel freer to speak out.
For example, one company keeps its local managers out of its annual benefits presentations, which include a suggestion, complaint, and discussion session. These managers now conduct their own regular meetings with employees, in turn excluding the foremen and supervisors. In this way, management believes, it can forestall serious labor problems on the local level. Supervisors are also encouraged by this system to resolve employee problems quickly, because they may fear higher-level investigations or complaints to higher management that reflect negatively on them.
Like other communication programs, speak-outs can backfire if handled gracelessly. In a January report, the U. Some reports indicate that union membership is declining, however, but there was a slight increase in union membership from to , according to the BLS report. If you are among the companies that employ union workers, it's critical that you understand the key differences between a union workforce and a nonunion workforce.
One of the most important laws you should read is the National Labor Relations Act NLRA , because it sets out every employee right and employer responsibility.
Even if a portion of your workforce is unionized, your company is not likely to ever be entirely unionized. One reason is that supervisors and managers are ineligible to become union members, as the NLRA specifically identifies supervisors as acting on behalf of the employer.
Supervisors and managers and directors are those who exercise independent judgment in the performance of their job duties and also have the authority to "hire, transfer, suspend, lay off Supervisors and the level of management above line supervisors if your company has them , do not share an interest with employees who are protected by the NLRA.
The NLRA protects the collective activity of employees deemed eligible for union membership. In addition, there is a category of workers who are considered "confidential" employees, and they also do not have a community of interest with union workers. Typically, confidential employees are staff members that have access to pay and personnel files, or they are privy to and perform job duties in support of management decisions.
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