The labor relations system in the United States attempts to serve the goals of management, labor unions, and society at large. Management is interested in controlling its labor costs, maintaining its freedom of action, and increasing productivity. These goals may lead them to vigorously oppose union representation for its employees. Labor unions attempt to give their members an independent means of ensuring that their interests at work are protected, and to ensure that the terms and conditions of work are as favorable as possible to workers. To do this most effectively, they try to maximize their bargaining effectiveness. Society has an interest in peaceful relations between employers and employees because it makes for a more stable society. Encouraging and regulating the labor-management environment is seen as promoting that goal.

This activity is important because HRM professionals must be able to recognize and take into account the labor relations objectives of management, labor unions, and society.

SELECT FROM: Society, Unions, Management

The goal of this activity is to determine whether each example is a goal of management, labor unions, or society.

1. Making bargaining power as equal as possible between employers and employees.

2. Providing workers with an independent voice in setting the terms and conditions of their work.

3. Avoiding extensive government involvement in the economy.

4. Avoiding an adversarial relationship with employees.

5. Avoiding the disruption to production processes a strike might cause.

6. Building membership levels to increase bargaining power.

7. Maintaining substantive control over the activities of the organization.

8. Managing conflict to reduce friction in the industrial setting.

9. Ensuring that employee interests are protected through the collective bargaining process.

10. Minimizing the cost of wages and benefits.

11. Resolving disputes over resource allocation in the least costly way possible.

12. Increasing its ability to halt or disrupt production if necessary to achieve its goals.

Answer:

1. Making bargaining power as equal as possible between employers and employees.

Labour Union

This is because Labour unions are the one which does all the bargaining with the employer for protecting the employee and their interests such that there is a proper and equal giving and taking.

2. Providing workers with an independent voice in setting the terms and conditions of their work.

Labour Unions

They are the ones who standup for the employees and also voice their oppositions in a case where workers are forces to work as per the norms and conditions given by the management, which is not proper.

3. Avoiding extensive government involvement in the economy.

Society

Society tends to keep their own control over the activities of the entities and other elements of involved in the society whereby they avoid maximum government involvement in the economy.

4. Avoiding an adversarial relationship with employees.

Management

They would try and avoid this for having a good production system without disrupting and halting the same and with minimal involvement by the unions.

5. Avoiding the disruption to production processes a strike might cause.

Management

They are the one who will be affected greatly by the disruption caused to the production so it is their duty or primary objective or goal to avoid the same.

6. Building membership levels to increase bargaining power.

Labour unions

As far as their strength in number increase their bargaining power also increases.

7. Maintaining substantive control over the activities of the organization.

Society

They would tend to keep a control on the act ivies of the organization for promoting their goal of having a stable society.

8. Managing conflict to reduce friction in the industrial setting.

Society

They are interested more in this as they tend to regulate the Labour management systems for having a stable society.

9. Ensuring that employee interests are protected through the collective bargaining process.

Labour unions

They would be bargaining for the protection of interests and rights of the employees.

10. Minimizing the cost of wages and benefits.

Management

Management for maximizing their profits and keeping their operation costs to the minimum would be doing the same.

11. Resolving disputes over resource allocation in the least costly way possible.

Management

Management would be allocating the available resources such that they’re deployed in a proper manner where there is least cost incurred.

12. Increasing its ability to halt or disrupt production if necessary to achieve its goals.

Management

Management would be the one which holds the ability to halt or alter the production as per the demand and requirements such that they are able to make proper revenue and good profit by minimizing the production cost.