Collective Bargaining - Assignment Example

Collective Bargaining Collective Bargaining Introduction Collective bargaining is the process where a union comes forth to represent employees that work together during a negotiation with the second party mainly the employers. In most cases collective bargaining covers a very wide range of issues that affect both parties. Some of these issues may include the working conditions of the employees, the wages of the employees, the working hours for the employees and finally the rules given to the employees by the employers. Collective bargaining at times might involve the third party so as to come up with a solution to a heated disagreement between the workers and the employees. This is because situations that require bargaining are normally different (Colosie et al., 2006). This is to imply that, at times the issue at hand can be resolved between the two parties or if negotiations fail a third part is going to be considered. According to Hayter (2011) it is necessary to note that the employers are not at liberty to refuse or dispute the chance of getting into a collective agreement under the base that they are at a higher position. This is to say that employers and employees must in good faith still bargain. The main reason as to why such a bargain would occur is once one party feels uncomfortable. For example employees can feel that the company is experiencing a rapid increase in profits because of their improved work rate yet their wages are still constant or being cut down such as in the Mott scandal. On the other hand the employers might realize that the company is experiencing losses because of the reduced efficiency of the employers as stated by Chaison (2012). Seattle’s minimum wage increment Just like many cities in the United States of America Seattle was seeking to have the minimum wage for their worker increased to fifteen dollars per hour. Once the minimum wage is raised, then the local government would have an easier time supporting families that are not so stable as a result of their income. One might feel that such an increment would negatively affect the business owners but on the contrary the businesses would register higher profits due to increased productivity of their products. This is because once the employees’ salaries are increased then they would have been motivated and hence work more efficiently (White, 2014). Fast food workers and those in their support staged strikes outside their places of work and into the roads to protests what they felt was a violation of their rights since they worked but felt that their salaries did not match their work and the standard of living in Seattle. According to White (2014), another reason as to why there was a strike in Seattle was because people were losing their jobs yet a report indicated that the state had witnessed an increase in its income. The report that was published indicated that Seattle had gained over five thousand industry jobs yet over five hundred people had lost their jobs. In Seattle’s magazine it was stated that most of the restaurants had started closing don but one would argue that statement because a many restaurants had closed down in the past for different reasons. Both sides had their various opinions on the subject matter. The restaurant owners argued that the increase was impossible because it would lead to losses and many restaurants would be closed down in turn. They further stated that the then current minimum wage was very much okay compared to the other states. On the other hand, the employees stated that the profit that the fast food restaurants were making was more than enough to sort out the issue at hand. Furthermore, the standard of living in the city was too high for most of the workers who did not have any other job apart from working at the restaurants (White, 2014). Even after all the commotion and disagreement none of the two parties was willing to pull out of the race. Mayor Murray who was then among the labor officials after months of very heated and intense negotiations with the businesses officials stated that he would propose much difficult task for them to implement. He stated that, he would require that the fast food restaurant workers get the initial fifteen dollars an hour increment in their wages and also have their working hours reduced. At long last it was agreed that the employers pay their works the fifteen dollars per hour salary without putting into consideration the amount of money the worker would have received in the form of a tip from the customers. Most of the people who were part of the labor team had suggested that this should take effect immediately but it was not to happen as so. This new law was to take place from the first of April 2015 (White, 2014). The campaign or rather the strike by the restaurant workers was supported by the service employees international union (SEIU). The union provided the workers and Murray with funding and foot soldiers during the strike. This dispute could not have been solved in any other fashionable way because of various reasons. One of the reasons is that, if the labor union had tried to sit down wither business owners then it would mean that, while negotiations would have been on going, the workers would still working and while getting their salaries that were low just as usual (White, 2014). Hadn’t the fast food and restaurant workers gone on strike then the employers would not feel the impact that the workers bring to their businesses and maybe no solution would have been brought forward. It was also very wise for the employees to go on strike because it raised awareness to other workers and business owners on the importance of having negotiations done on various issues that affect the businesses. Conclusion Collective bargaining comes forth with a number of limitations such as the fact that negotiations cannot occur if something imposed by the law. Another disadvantage is that the workers cannot complain individually the have to get someone to represent them and in the case the representative is weak then the workers might not win the case. The number one advantage of collective bargaining is that it creates transpiracy between the employers and the employees which in turn will help the business to grow and both the parties will benefit at the end. References: Chaison, G. N. (2012). The new collective bargaining. New York: Springer. Colosi, T. R.,et al., (2006). Collective bargaining: How it works and why : a manual of theory and practice. Huntington, New York: Juris Pub. Hayter, S. (2011). The Role of Collective Bargaining in the Global Economy: Negotiating for Social Justice. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Pub. White, A. F. (2014). Plowed Under: Food Policy Protests and Performance in New Deal America. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press. Read More