Discuss the pros and cons of collective bargaining agreements. Appropriately reference the literature in support of your position. Respond to one or more of your classmate’s post showing your synthesis of the post and citing the literature to support your entry. Don’t site their references! Add to the discussion. Make sure at least one reference is from outside the assigned readings.
Respond to the 2 classmates post below ½ a page each post. At least 1 reference for each post
Post 1
One of the key functions that unions or other labor organizations provide for their members is the negotiation of collective agreements (Sachs, 2013). Collective bargaining procedures often results in collective agreements. Collective bargaining agreements prevent employees from strikes or lockouts, promoting clear and effective standards and expectations for both sides. Collective bargaining is governed by federal and state laws and it is a form of negotiations between a group of employees and the employer. Employees negotiate the terms of their employment in a legally binding contract with their employer for a specified period, i.e. salary, benefits, raises or promotions, working conditions, vacation times, and even work hours (Lawson, Miles, Vallish, & Jenkins, 2011) and also procedures for dispute resolution.
There are several pros to collective bargaining agreements. According to (Lawson, Miles, Vallish, & Jenkins, 2011), the biggest advantage of collective bargaining is that the employees are allowed to take part in the decision-making process and the employees and the management are required to adhere to the rules mentioned in the contract. Another advantage in collective bargaining agreements is one, all employees are covered by the agreement whether they are union members or not; two, employees cannot strike, stage a sit-in, picket or cause a work stoppage once the agreement is in place; three, employers cannot retaliate against employees or unfairly being fired; four, increase communication between management and employees—allowing both parties to work together to address issues and concerns.
On the other hand, there are several disadvantages to collective bargaining agreements; one, negotiations takes times—costly; two, division between management and employees—decrease communication and trust; and three, forces employees to participate even when they happy with their working environment.
Although there are processes in place to protect the rights of employees and employers, if employers keep employees can minimize employee dissatisfaction that can prevent employees feeling the need to escalate and seek for union representation (Treuren & Frankish, 2014). Mangers must communicate with the human resources management—they have been associated to assist managers at all levels when dealing with the complexity and challenges of effectively managing people (O’Donnell, Livingston, & Bartram, 2012).
References
Lawson, L. D., Miles, K. S., Vallish, R. O., & Jenkins, S. A. (2011). Labor relations. Recognizing nursing professional growth and development in a collective bargaining environment. Journal of Nursing Administration, 41(5), 197-200. doi:10.1097/NNA.0b013e3182171ae8
O’Donnell, D., Livingston, P., & Bartram, T. (2012). Human resource management activities on the front line: A nursing perspective. Contemporary Nurse (2012) 41(2): 198–205
Sachs, B. I. (2013). The unbundled union: politics without collective bargaining. Yale Law Journal, (1), 176.
Treuen, G. M., & Frankish, E. (2014). Pay Dissatisfaction and Intention to Leave. Nonprofit Management & Leadership, 25(1), 5. doi:10.1002/nml.21108
POST 2
Collective bargaining is a process where a group of employees, or a union, comes together to reach a common ground in terms of employment, with an employer. Typically, wages, hours, and terms of employment are negotiated upon through collective bargaining (Rousssel, 2013). Collective bargaining has a number of pros and cons, but I will describe a few here that I think are important.
One of the biggest cons of collective bargaining that I identified is the that individuals in the union may have an ethical dilemma during the collective bargaining process. For example, striking may be part of collective bargaining, and individuals may not agree with this ethically. In the US, there is a 10-day strike notice for nurses, so that emergency care may be covered; however, the nursing code of ethics states that nurses will maintain conditions that are conducive to high quality care (Ketter, 1997). When nurses go on a strike, temporary nurses cover their care, but temporary nurses who are only working in a place for a short period of time cannot provide the same level of care as those who are completely knowledgeable of the department. This leads to another con of collective bargaining, and that is that the decisions of the union may not always be the same as that of the individual. When I was travel nursing in Massachusetts, the union stated that seniority always ruled for PTO requests. Even if a new nurse had taken time off a year in advance for a wedding, a more senior nurse could bump that request the week before a wedding. Despite many nurses not agreeing with this union law, it had been in effect for many years.
One of the pros of collective bargaining is that it keeps wages and productivity growing while keeping jobs safe (Kochan, 2012). Again, on a travel assignment in Oregon, it was mandated by the union that nurses have a 30-minute lunch break, plus two other 10-minute breaks. The management team was very strict about taking breaks, as they were in violation of their labor laws if nurses missed their breaks. This is an example where the labor laws help keep the environment safe by providing nurses time to recollect during their shifts. Also, nurses who have the ability to collectively bargain may feel like they have more of a voice when it comes to influencing the delivery of care, wages, and decision-making. When an employee supports the laws enacted through collective bargaining, they feel empowered and valued. This has a positive correlation with job satisfaction, which is important to the employee and the employer (Castaneda & Scanlan, 2014).
It’s important to note that collective bargaining has been losing power over the last several years, and many think that unions are no longer as useful to the workforce (Kochan, 2012). Whether or not they will continue to hold power in the future is still to be seen. Many states have become right-to-work states, and unionization and collective bargaining is uncommon in right-to-work states.
Castaneda, G. A., & Scanlan, J. M. (2014). Job satisfaction in nursing: A concept analysis. Nursing Forum, 49(2), 130-138. doi:10.1111/nuf.12056
Ketter, J. (1997). Nurses and strikes: A perspective from the United States. Nursing Ethics, 4(4), 323-329. doi:09697330970040040810.1191/096973397673116184
Kochan, T. A. (2012). Collective bargaining: Crisis and its consequences for American society. Industrial Relations Journal, 43(4), 302-316. doi:10.1111/j.1468-2338.2012.00680.x
Roussel, L. (2013). Management and Leadership for Nurse Administrators (6th ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones and Bartlett.
