Summary
Contents
Subject index
The Handbook of 21st Century Management provides authoritative insight into the key issues for students in college or corporate courses with a particular emphasis on the current structure of the topic in the literature, key threads of discussion and research on the topic, and emerging trends. This resource is useful in structuring exciting and meaningful papers and presentations and assists readers in deciding on management areas to take elective coursework in or to orient themselves towards for a career. Indeed, familiarity with many of the topics in this Handbook would be very useful in job interviews for positions in business.
Future Directions in Labor Relations: A 2025 Perspective
Future Directions in Labor Relations: A 2025 Perspective
Since the enactment of the Railway Labor Act in 1926 and the National Labor Relations Act in 1935, American workers in the private sector have enjoyed the right to organize into unions of their own choosing to negotiate with their employer and establish their wages, hours, and conditions of work. The term “labor relations” broadly refers to the parties involved in this relationship and to the various interactions, procedures, processes, and actions that occur between them. The employees, represented by the union, and the employer, represented by management, may have different priorities regarding the allocation and utilization of human resources in the production of goods and services and about the terms and conditions relating to employee compensation and welfare. While there are broad overall goals that are important to both parties (e.g., survival of the firm), there will likely be differences over the immediate functional and procedural issues in the workplace. The labor-relations process focuses on how the parties deal with these differences and reach a mutually satisfactory accommodation that allows for a workable ongoing relationship and continued production. The purpose of this chapter is to outline the basic nature of labor relations in the United States and offer a long-term perspective on its development. Indeed, the goal is to look 20 years into the future to prognosticate the characteristics and state of labor relations in the year 2025. While these projections of the future cannot be comprehensive, they will draw upon important general trends and specific factors and explore their influence on the key institutions and processes that will constitute labor relations at the quarter-century mark.
Initially, a brief overview is presented of the basic nature and unique aspects that historically characterize labor relations in the United States. Then, there is a review of the state of American labor relations as they have evolved in the early 21st century. Next, some important trends that will likely influence the directions of union-management relations in the foreseeable future are presented. The focus then turns to the projected characteristics of key institutions and processes that will constitute labor relations in the year 2025. Finally, some concluding comments on labor relations in 2025 will be offered.
Important Characteristics of American Labor Relations
The relationship between the union representing workers and the employer typically has been characterized as adversarial in nature. Indeed, it is a relationship in which each party exercises its power to get the best deal it can from the adversary. Management, which is responsible for the overall performance of the firm, has traditionally emphasized the importance of maintaining control of operations, keeping costs at a minimum, and having the immediate capability of making the changes it deems necessary. Individual workers, on the other hand, are in a dependent position with relatively little voice or ability to influence decisions affecting their job security, how they are utilized, or how much they are paid. Given this situation, workers join to form unions to gain power and a collective voice in these important decisions—which tends to restrict the control of management. Thus, while the parties are interdependent and may have some shared broad goals for the overall success of the organization, they tend to have different positions regarding how workers are managed and rewarded. When the union representing the employees meets with management to define the rules of the relationship, it is a process where the parties are engaged in hard bargaining to reach a mutually agreeable arrangement to carry out the productive activity of the firm. If an agreement cannot be reached, then either of the parties (or both) can use its power to take coercive action (e.g., a union strike, an employer lockout) to pressure the adversary to give concessions and force movement toward an agreement.
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