Unions and human resources essays

Unions and human resources essays After learning briefly about the laws concerning labor unions, I was interested in the events that put these laws in place. I was also curious to discern why the membership in labor unions had dropped so drastically if they were doing their job. I was surprised to discover that while labor unions effectively solve the labor issues by bargaining they are continues to drop. In order to understand the relationship between human resource managers and labor unions, one must know the laws and events that allow unions to exist. The first laws that came into effect that would alter managements dealings with Labor unions came about between the years of 1933 and 1947. Our country was in an economic depression and the widespread strike activity of this fifteen year period resulted in the passage of the National Labor Relations Act in 1935, followed by the passage of the National Labor-Management Relations Act in 1947. The National Labor Relations Act, also known as the Wagner Act, was designed to encourage the growth of trade unions and restrict management interfering with that growth. (Ivancevich 606) The Wagner Act created a three member National Labor Relations Board to ensure the law was enforced. Although this solved some labor issues, ten years later another rash of strikes along with employer opposition to the Wagner Act ensured the passage of the Nati onal Labor-Management Relations Act. This act, also known as the Taft-Hartley Act, created a series of unfair labor practices. It also expanded the National Labor Relations board to five members and outlawed closed shops. Although womens unions were in existence, it would take sixteen years and the publication of The Feminine Mystique to change the consciousness of the country. In 1963, the passage of the Equal Pay Act required that men and women receive equal pay for equal work. Less than a year later the Civil Rights Act of 1964 would solidify the s...