Stephanie A. Pilgere
BUS 372
Employee and Labor Relations
Tika Dave
March 17, 2014
Unions and Management Working Together
Introduction
Unions and organizations have had a disagreeable relationship from the very beginning; which dates back to the mid 1800s when unionization started. The reason being, they both had very different beliefs and perspectives on laborers, working conditions and benefits. In this paper, we will briefly discuss the start of unionization, the roles that both management and unions play in an organization and some strategies that can help management and unions create a better working relationship with one another.
Start of unionization As stated above, unionization …show more content…
Management deals with every aspect of the organization so it operates smoothly. Planning, organizing, staffing, leading, and controlling are the basic functions that management handles (Reilly, et al, 2011). Management gives direction so that the organizational goals may be reached. Managers use planning to choose appropriate organizational goals and identify courses of action to best reach those goals. They determine the best way to organize and use resources. Management recruits, selects, trains, evaluates, compensates and disciplines the employees within the organization. They coordinate and motivate their employees to help them reach their individual goals as well as the organization 's. The measure, compare and evaluate the standards and goals of the organization and decide the next course of action. There are different levels of management but they all perform these functions; depending on what level of management determines how much time is spent performing the functions, however. Top level managers such as the CEO would spend more time planning, i.e., defining goals and procedures to reach those goals. Middle management for instance a general manager would spend more time organizing and reporting back to top level management. Supervisors or foremen (low level management) spend their time directing others. They assign tasks, provide direction and guidance to employees, and ensure the quality and quantity …show more content…
We all have had a person lead or represent us and because he or she was not really qualified for the job, we ended up looking bad and nothing was gained. Since unions are comprised of employees it should not be too difficult to accomplish. The representatives for the union need to have the skills and knowledge to effectively communicate with management, which in itself is one of the most important skills the union needs. If the liaison does not have good communication skills, not much if anything will be gained. Having all the necessary skills and knowledge will make communications and relations between the union and management much easier and