Module 4 – Case
LABOR RELATIONS LAWS
Assignment Overview
Labor Laws, Unionization, and the Workplace
A good place to start familiarizing yourself with legal
issues involving unions in the workplace is by looking over the National Labor
Relations Board website at:
National Labor Relations Board. The NLRB Process. Retrieved
from https://www.nlrb.gov/resources/nlrb-process
You should familiarize yourself with the following laws and
their amendments:
U.S. Department of Labor. (2017) Labor-Management Reporting
and Disclosure Act, As Amended. Retrieved from
https://www.dol.gov/olms/regs/compliance/compllmrda.htm
HR Hero (2017). National Labor Relations Act (NLRA).
Retrieved at http://topics.hrhero.com/national-labor-relations-act-nlra/
National Labor Relations Board. (n.d.) 1947 Taft-Hartley
Substantive Provisions. Retrieved from
https://www.nlrb.gov/who-we-are/our-history/1947-taft-hartley-substantive-provisions
Case Assignment
After you have reviewed the above laws, view the video and
read the following articles concerning the labor unrest that occurred at
Verizon.
Communication Workers of America (2016). What
#VictoryAtVerizon Means to Us | 2016 Verizon Strike | CWA Video. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YwWKNLiiiFY
Dayen, D. (April 15, 2016). The Verizon Strike Signals a
Larger Economic Battle. New Republic.
https://newrepublic.com/article/132707/verizon-strike-signals-larger-economic-battle
Scheiber, N. (May 20, 2016). Verizon Strike to End as Both
Sides Claim Victories on Key Points. New York Times. Retrieved from Trident
Online Library.
Sherk, J. (April 13, 2016) Verizon Strike No Morality Play.
The National Review. Retrieved from
http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/434050/verizon-strike-landline-workers-go-strike
Smith, A. (April 15, 2016) Verizon Strike Not as
Intimidating As It Appears. Retrieved at
https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/labor-relations/pages/verizon-strike-lower-numbers.aspx
Stangler, C. (April 15, 2016) 40,000 Verizon Workers Launch
One of the Biggest Strikes of the Decade: Can the strike at Verizon help
kickstart the American labor movement? The Nation. Retrieved at
https://www.thenation.com/article/40000-verizon-workers-launch-one-of-the-biggest-strikes-of-the-decade/
Prepare a 4- to 5-page (not including title and references
page) paper in which you address the following questions:
What is the story behind the Verizon strike of 2016?
How does the Verizon strike reflect the current state of
unions in the United States?
Do you agree that the Verizon Strike “signaled a Larger
Economic Battle” or was it “No Morality Play”? Support your position.
What can an HR manager learn from the experience of the
Verizon strike of 2016?
Use at least 5 Trident Online Library sources plus any applicable
background readings to support your discussion.
Upload your paper by the module due date.
Assignment Expectations
Your paper will be evaluated using the criteria as stated in
the Case rubric. The following is a review of the rubric criteria
Assignment-Driven: Does the paper fully address all aspects
of the assignment? Is the assignment addressed accurately and precisely using
sound logic? Does the paper meet minimum length requirements?
Critical Thinking: Does the paper demonstrate graduate-level
analysis, in which information derived from multiple sources, expert opinions,
and assumptions has been critically evaluated and synthesized in the
formulation of a logical set of conclusions? Does the paper address the topic
with sufficient depth of discussion and analysis?
Business Writing: Is the essay logical, well organized, and
well written? Are the grammar, spelling, and vocabulary appropriate for
graduate-level work? Are section headings included? Are paraphrasing and
synthesis of concepts the primary means of responding, or is
justification/support instead conveyed through excessive use of direct
quotations?
Effective Use of Information: Does the submission
demonstrate that the student has read, understood, and can apply the background
materials for the module? If required, has the student demonstrated effective
research, as evidenced by student’s use of relevant and quality (library?)
sources? Do additional sources used provide strong support for conclusions
drawn, and do they help in shaping the overall paper?
Citing Sources: Does the student demonstrate understanding
of APA Style of referencing by inclusion of proper citations (for paraphrased
text and direct quotations) as appropriate? Have all sources (e.g., references
used from the Background page, the assignment readings, and outside research)
been included, and are these properly cited? Have all sources cited in the
paper been included on the References page?
Timeliness: Has the assignment been submitted to TLC
(Trident’s learning management system) on or before the module’s due date?
Module 4 – SLP
LABOR RELATIONS LAWS
Disputes in a unionized workplace
Before you start this assignment, be sure that you are
familiar with the following:
National Labor Relations Board (n.d.) Rights We Protect.
Retrieved from https://www.nlrb.gov/rights-we-protect
National Labor Relations Board (n.d.) Unfair Labor Practice
Process Charts. Retrieved from
https://www.nlrb.gov/resources/nlrb-process/unfair-labor-practice-process-chart
Sultan, M. (2012) Managing Grievance Process (slideshow).
Retrieved from
https://www.nlrb.gov/resources/nlrb-process/unfair-labor-practice-process-chart
https://www.slideshare.net/mohdhanifah/grievance-procedure-13512386
Read the following scenario:
Jim and Ted are both hourly employees working as forklift
drivers in a large grocery chain’s central California warehouse. Their
workplace is unionized. They work in the same warehouse section under Bob, the
second shift supervisor.
Jim has always found the job difficult, because the job was
fast-paced, but repetitive and even though the forklifts, the machines, do the
heavy lifting and moving, there were situations in which a driver had to deal
with slightly misplaced palates or otherwise use ingenuity and “muscle” to keep
things moving smoothly through the shift. Jim was small in stature and
obviously not as physically strong as his co-workers. Ted made a point of never
helping Jim with these adjustments, even though he helped other drivers when
such situations arose. Jim was gay, and he thought Ted resented having him
there – Ted never seemed to want to talk with Jim on breaks, for example.
Jim thought Ted was being a bad colleague, especially on
those days when Jim could have really used Ted’s help. Jim mentioned to Bob,
the supervisor, that he sure wished that Ted would be willing to help hin once
in a while. After all, he would be willing to help Ted if he asked. Bob replied
that he didn’t think that was going to happen.
It wasn’t only Ted who wouldn’t ever help Jim. All of the
other forklift drivers seemed to look the other way when Jim found himself in a
situation where there was “muscle” needed to keep things going.
Recently, the company implemented a new stacking protocol.
Soon thereafter, Jim wasn’t meeting his production numbers on some days. He
thought it was because he couldn’t get any help from his colleagues when needed
and his supervisor, Bob, didn’t seem to care.
Bob, his supervisor, did carefully record Jim’s production
numbers to highlight the shifts when he had underperformed. After a while, Jim
started skipping breaks and shortening his lunch break on some days so he could
spend a little more time on the forklift and try to meet his production for the
shift. No one seemed to care or notice.
As Jim came to realize that he was going to get a bad
performance evaluation if the situation continued, he asked Bob if he couldn’t
order his co-workers to help him when situations arose where he needed help.
Bob said he couldn’t give Jim any special treatment.
Jim grew more frustrated, especially by the lack of
communication and what he considered to be the stubbornness of his co-workers
in refusing to help him when he needed it. He reasoned that he had a family to
feed, just as they did, and he had to do something about the unfair treatment
he was receiving.
Jim told Bob that he was going to tell the union that he
wanted to file a grievance, because he thought the way he was being treated was
not right.
Bob told Jim that he’d never known a grievance to work out
for the person who filed it, but Jim should do what he thought he needed to do.
Jim felt very upset about what he perceived as Bob’s
indifference. He filed a formal grievance with the union about the situation.
Prepare a 2- to 3-page (not counting title and reference
pages) paper that addresses the following questions:
What do you think will happen next? Why? Discuss the
important steps that might take place to resolve this issue. If you were the HR
manager in this warehouse, what would you do to get to the root of the issue?
Why?
Use at least 2 Trident Online Library sources plus any
applicable background readings to help strengthen your discussion.
SLP Assignment Expectations
Your paper will be evaluated using the criteria as stated in
the SLP rubric. The following is a review of the rubric criteria:
Assignment-Driven: Does the paper fully address all aspects
of the assignment? Is the assignment addressed accurately and precisely using
sound logic? Does the paper meet minimum length requirements?
Critical Thinking: Does the paper demonstrate graduate-level
analysis, in which information derived from multiple sources, expert opinions,
and assumptions has been critically evaluated and synthesized in the formulation
of a logical set of conclusions? Does the paper address the topic with
sufficient depth of discussion and analysis?
Business Writing: Is the essay logical, well organized, and
well written? Are the grammar, spelling, and vocabulary appropriate for graduate-level
work? Are section headings included? Are paraphrasing and synthesis of concepts
the primary means of responding, or is justification/support instead conveyed
through excessive use of direct quotations?
Effective Use of Information: Does the submission
demonstrate that the student has read, understood and can apply the background
materials for the module? If required, has the student demonstrated effective
research, as evidenced by student’s use of relevant and quality (library?)
sources? Do additional sources used provide strong support for conclusions
drawn, and do they help in shaping the overall paper?
Citing Sources: Does the student demonstrate understanding
of APA Style of referencing by inclusion of proper citations (for paraphrased
text and direct quotations) as appropriate? Have all sources (e.g., references
used from the Background page, the assignment readings, and outside research)
been included, and are these properly cited? Have all sources cited in the
paper been included on the References page?
Timeliness: Has the assignment been submitted to TLC
(Trident’s learning management system) on or before the module’s due date?
