Labor Relations Course Work

Labor Relations Course Work

Section One

The similarities between the labor relations systems of the United States and Canada indicate that both countries have been at the forefront of ensuring that employers and unions prevent discriminatory labor practices against employees. The labor system of the two countries has common goals and beliefs of ensuring that employees get their rights. The labor relations system of the U.S and America are similar because of their working culture, as the two countries share industrial histories and time zones. For instance, like the U.S, Canada's labor relations system has ensured overtime rates for hourly workers, termination notice, and a minimum wage. It is also significant from the labor relations system of the two countries that employers have the responsibility to deduct personal income taxes. However, there are some significant differences between the two countries, such as the lack of a National Labor Relations Board in Canada, like in the U.S, which help govern the entire country's unionized workforce. Further, in Canada, the provincial government regulates working hours and overtime where the employee is employed, unlike in the U.S, where the government is mandated with hours of work regulation. As in the U.S, jurisdiction over employment matters is a shared responsibility of federal, state, and local government. Another contrast between the two countries is that in the U.S, there is a federal minimum wage that sets a floor across the country, but in Canada, the minimum wage is set by territories and provinces.

From the analysis of the labor relations system of the two countries, it is clear that all of them protect collective labor voice and union-related activity by ensuring that they resolve issues affecting the employees to avoid strikes. They attempt to build a healthy work-life that makes employees happier by reducing disruptive strike activity. More importantly, it has also been that it promotes equity, voice, and efficiency by giving unions a collective voice and bargaining power to ensure equitable working conditions and a strong voice for employees. The aspect of the non-US system that I think could have most benefited America's labor relations system is increasing orientation towards social unionism. This can be incorporated through the labor rights law of the country as that will make it effective.

Section Two

Collective bargaining agreement is a vital legal agreement between an employer and a union representing the employees. In most instances, CBA results from an extensive negotiation between parties regarding terms, wages, and conditions of employment. From the definition of CBA, it is clear that the four elements that are included in this agreement include health and safety, work conditions, wages, and benefits. Wage is part of the common elements included in CBA because it helps promote cooperation and productivity by ensuring that employees get additional payment. Also, the working condition is another vital element of CBA because it helps the employer improve the workers' working environment. Health and safety are also essential elements included in the bargaining agreement because it obligates the company to obey federal and state law by providing employees with the necessary protective and healthful workplace. Finally, the benefits are other common elements included in the bargaining agreement because there provides a greater degree of predictability for employers in areas such as working hours and bonuses, thus allowing them to plan better.

Strikes, in most instances, occur due to a number of reasons in terms of economic conditions; it can be in response to improving wages and benefits or improving work conditions. A strike is a powerful weapon that trade unions use to ensure that employers accept their demands. The strikes are also caused to factors such as hours of work and rest intervals, salary, and incentive problems. Another reason for strikes is employees' dissatisfaction with the organization's policy and disputes about minimum wages. The difference between striking in NLRB and legal protection is that when taking part in NLRB, you do it in support of a Union; unfair labor practices lead to unfair labor practices. It is clear that the NLRB is mandated to protect workers' rights to structure and decide whether to have unions as bargaining representatives; thus, when employees participate, it supports unfair union labor practices. But on the other hand, legal protection is strikes are mainly for economic reasons have object and purpose such as wages and benefits.

Human resources management has significant standards of conflict resolutions that effectively solve the issues affecting the organization and help mitigate any possibility of strikes. For instance, HRM is frequently a mediator between managers and employees in dispute resolutions. This makes them quickly respond to conflict by ensuring that employers do not violate the rights of employees. In addition, HRM dispute resolution involves the interpretation of company policies and labor laws. Further, the HRM always ensure they deal with unfair treatment and unfavorable working conditions between coworkers and managers by explaining workplace codes of conduct. Also, based on their standards, they ensure that they determine appropriate disciplinary action that can help minimize the incidents of conflicts among the employees and employers. From the analysis of HRM dispute resolution procedures, it is clear that their mandate is to ensure that while delivering fairer dispute resolution outcomes, there needs to focus on workplace justice principles. Having looked at HRM procedures of dispute resolution, it can be compared effectively with grievance arbitration because they both involve a third party who renders a final and binding decision. However, unlike HRM, grievance procedures are based on dispute resolution because, in their resolution procedures, they first informally with the employer with a grievance letter so that investigation can be done and a significant decision is made. The grievance procedures process is a better dispute resolution than HRM because it systematically allows employees to redress injustice. But all are the best dispute resolution process because they help deliver workplace justice and improve working relations between employees and employers within the firm.

The European Works Councils are bodies mandated to represent the European employee of a company. They are vital to workers because, through them, employees are informed and consulted by management concerning business progress and significant European-level decisions that could affect their working conditions. The rights of EWC were to have the organization install a structure through which the management can inform the employees on what is going on within the company. This means that it has the right to ensure that it makes the employees within the corporation remain informed and consulted before any decision is made. EWC operates effectively by ensuring the effectiveness of employees' transnational information and consultation rights. Further, EWC helps promote practices that specify minimum labor standards on specific issues that affect employees.