Human Resource Management Methods Name of the Student Institutional affiliation Course name Instructor Date Human Resource Management: Unionization Negotiations are cri ...

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Human Resource Management Methods

Name of the Student
Institutional affiliation
Course name
Instructor
Date









Human Resource Management: Unionization
Negotiations are critical in unionization as they ensure that both sides, the employers and the employee`s come to a decision that is satisfactory and that meets their needs. Proper communication and understanding of the needs of each group and what they are willing to sacrifice or not sacrifice ensures that the process is seamless and that the participants come to a common agreement. Collective bargaining is the process through which individuals in the organization will negotiate their working contracts under the support of the workers unions. The negotiation determines elements of employment such as wages, benefits, working hours and safety policies employed at the workplace.
The organization in this case study is located in Alabama, and has over 100 employees, both part time employees and full-time employees. Alabama is a right to work state where an individual cannot be denied the right to employment due to their membership or non-thereof in labor unions or other labor organizations. In such a state, the employer also has the authority to let go of an employee, provided there is no termination restricting the contract, for any reason, provided the reason is not against the law.
The Alabama (AL Code § 25-7-42 (2018)) has provisions for the mandatory subjects of collective bargaining. The mandatory subjects are to have a direct impact on wages, working hours and working conditions. They are subjects that warrant bargaining based on the proposals by either party in the negotiations. It does not mean that the parties have to come to an agreement but rather engage in the negation process in good faith. It is against the law to lock out mandatory subjects of bargaining.
Apart from the salaries/wages and hours, other terms and conditions of employment in the organization include the following:
Shift premiums
Health insurance and pensions
Pay for training
Waivers/zipper clauses
Non-discrimination
The permissive or voluntary bargaining subjects that will be discussed in the organization include the following:
Negotiations on ground rules
The make-up of the board of directors in the organization
Demand for settlement from unions under previous employment contracts
Matters related to international unionization
Pension for retirees
Bargaining Team
The following are the supervisors that I feel will fit best in the negotiation team for the organization. They are based on the supervisors provided in the Unit VI Lesson and are selected according to their ability to solve conflict:
Supervisor H (Harry b Servin)
I would choose the supervisor to be part of the conflict management team due to his traits as a leader. According to his profile he is a servant leader and he serves others by listening to their needs and understanding the needs (Heyler & Martin, 2018). He believes that he should be there for the employees for them to do the best that they can. His leadership qualities that include listening, awareness, empathy, persuasiveness and stewardship among others will come in handy in conflict resolution. The supervisor is likely to employ the collaborating conflict resolution strategy where he puts the needs of others first. The needs of the parties in conflict will influence the negotiation outcomes and the supervisor is likely to try to come to a common ground where parties involved feel at peace.
Supervisor I (Irene B Genuine)
The leader would also be part of the conflict resolution team. She is self-aware and self-regulated and works towards developing transparent relationships. The leader is genuine and sincere and encourages positive relationships in the organization. She is an epitome of authentic leadership. She is likely to employ the collaborating style of conflict management in that she would encourage the parties to come together and get a solution. The solution would meet the needs of parties involved thus creating a win-win situation. The style of conflict management comes in handy especially when there are multiple perspectives.
Supervisor B (Brooke B. Haven)
She feels that her actions and the decisions she makes when faced with a choice, make her productive. She is a terrific listener and exhorts staff members to give it their all. She thinks she can develop the skills necessary to lead well. She has a genuine concern for people and therefore best fit for the accommodating style of conflict management. The style sees the leader put the needs of others first and also their concerns before her own. For peace to prevail, the leader is likely to manage conflict based on wanting to maintain peace.
Supervisor C (Curtis Contingent)
The leader’s traits and leadership style are based on the theory of contingency of leadership. The supervisors would be part of my team in that they evaluate situations and events and match their leadership style to the event or situation (Uslu, 2019). In conflict management, the leader is likely to employ the compromising conflict style in that they would try to find the best solution that will please at least all the parties partially. The leader would work towards getting a middle ground.
Collective Bargaining Strategies
The two collective bargaining strategies that the team could use include the integrative and the intra-organizational bargaining strategies. The former focuses on negotiations where both parties benefit. The agreement takes sacrifices from both teams and also leads to an action that benefits all the teams. For instance, when bargaining for a training program within the organization, it is beneficial to both the employers and employees. The employees are likely to develop their skill and benefit employers through better production and efficiencies.
The strategy that I would recommend for my team would be intra-organizational bargaining. There is a likelihood of conflict amongst the team of employees in the organization let alone that with management. To ensure that the bargaining is successful it is important for teams in the organization to be on one page. In the organization in discussion for instance, the permanent employees and the casual employees might have conflict, based on the latter group’s feeling of being neglected. It is critical to attain consensus amongst such groups even if they are all members of a labor union.
The benefits of the strategy are that it ensures the employees come to the bargaining process as one where they share similar views, needs and demands. It is also beneficial in that it makes the process of inter organizational bargaining easier. Intra-organizational bargaining strategy also ensures that the internal organization is all set up and ready for the negotiations that are likely to influence the mandatory and permissive subjects of bargaining.
Lu et al. (2020) tries to explain the effects of bargaining power on the bargaining behavior within organizations. They place the same in the context of intra organizational conflict showing how power distance affects the relationship between the organizations power of bargaining and the bargaining behavior. The implication of their research shows that the intra-organizational aspect of bargaining is critical as it influences the negotiation behavior elicited by organizational members.
Labor Management Agreement
The agreement is made and entered into by the bargaining parties and is binding and enforceable by the law. A lack of coming to a labor management agreement has negative consequences on organizations and also their employees. For instance, it means that the employers and the employees will be at the same position they were before the start of the negotiation and bargaining process. It would mean that the plights of the employees and that of the employers were not met and therefore negative behavioral traits from both teams. Lu (2021) shows how labor management partnerships are aimed at creating a win-win situation for the employer and the employee. They help shift away from adversarial relations to ones that are built on trust, reciprocity, mutuality and cooperation. Failure to have a labor management agreement therefore means that the company will lack the benefits stated above and remain in adversarial relations with organizational management of other colleagues at different working levels in the organization.

















References
Heyler, S. G., & Martin, J. A. (2018). Servant leadership theory: Opportunities for additional theoretical integration. Journal of Managerial Issues, 30(2), 230–243. https://libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bsu&AN=130373169&site=ehost-live&scope=site
Lu, W., Wei, Y., & Wang, R. (2020). Handling inter-organisational conflict based on bargaining power: Organisational power distance orientation matters. International Journal of Conflict Management. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCMA-06-2019-0092
Lu, X. (2021). Have labour-management partnership agreements been successful?. Academic Journal of Humanities & Social Sciences, 4(10), 61-66. https://francis-press.com/uploads/papers/YuHj4Wwe3h9mlb4IoyZvBpjEJfmBcl3Psn3uB0LB.pdf
Uslu, O. (2019). A general overview to leadership theories from a critical perspective. Marketing and Management of Innovations, 1, 161–172. https://libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=asn&AN=135809769&site=ehost-live&scope=site