Collective bargaining is the concept that has captured my attention in this module. It is a procedure that offers a platform for negotiation between employers and employees intended to institute and regulate working remunerations, conditions, benefits, and other elements of staff compensation and privileges (Nigro & Kellough 2014). The concept began as a merger of two policies that battled for the liberty of workers in the private arena.
I was thrilled to learn how the idea began in the 1930s and has evolved over the years. The United States congress in 1935 passed the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), which permitted individualized firms’ casuals to join unions that could fight for their contract rights as individuals and managements. The government also established the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), an obligation of NLRA certification. The NLRB guarantees that the staff unions’ practices benefit the workers (Nigro & Kellough 2014). The merging of the two laws to look out for personnel became a bilateral process and, consequently, collective bargaining.
The bargaining option was only for the private segment workforce, while the civil servants used the sovereignty doctrine model. However, by the 1950s, the public working teams realized the bilateral deal was better than what the government offered. They pushed to be included in the NLRA, and the 1959 Wisconsin state approved the first bill bilateral between the local administrators and their staff (Nigro & Kellough 2014). Since then, various workers unions have come up to voice workers’ concerns.
The continued advocate for human resources liberties came with its fair share of challenges. Some officers felt like workers were gaining more power and feared they could use it against bosses. Several states like Georgia, South and North Carolina, Texas, and Virginia barred the public service approach. Every stakeholder in the workers’ right organization goes through different challenges. My main reason for highlighting this topic is to document the difficulties of collective bargaining, which could explain why workers strike even with the unions in place.
Labour organisations challenge administrators with their requirements. Many companies argue that people allied to these societies are expensive. According to Nigro and Kellough (2014), private entities are the most rigid in changing their policies to favour human resource. On the other hand, the public service has been mandated by unions to agree to laws that improve payments, retirement benefits, working hours and conditions. Before the civil servants joined the right movements, the government engaged in workers’ practices without external evaluations. The movements now act as an overseer in public and private employment operations.
The society members are still vulnerable, even with the facilities designed for their protection. I have understood that vulnerability is the motivation behind staff strikes. Nigro and Kellough (2014) argue that there is no single rights organization that can satisfy every individual’s needs. Different people have diverse desires, and it is impossible to cover them in just one entity, someone will always feel dissatisfied. The aforementioned is why individuals keep transferring from one union to another, looking for one that guarantees most of their requirements.
Lastly, the NLRA is the epicentre of the collective bargain and has to advocate for workers’ amenities. Nigro and Kellough (2014) revealed that the campaigners were caught in the middle when things got unsteady between managers and labourers. The contract negotiations do not always result in the expectations which might explain witnessed demonstrations in workplaces. The activists always try to reach a compromise and meet the interested parties in the middle.
The bilateral policy has taught me that it is not all the time that one gets what they want for the services rendered in public service. I have recognized the struggle every stakeholder in the employment sector is managing. I am now more open-minded on the benefits employers can offer, and nothing will catch me by surprise when fighting for my rights as a worker.
Reference
Nigro, L., & Kellough, J. (2014). The new public personnel administration. Wadsworth Cengage Learning.