Employees can have several reasons to want to unionize or to join an established union. As a human resource professional, you will sometimes be required to advise stakeholders on why employees might find unions desirable. You may also be required to suggest strategies for stakeholders in response within the confines of the law. As you begin this assignment, spend some time researching reasons that employees join a union, including reviewing the article Reasons Employees Give for Joining A Union found under the Supporting Materials section. Think about what you can do within your organization to the eliminate reasons that employees join a union.
address the reasons that employees seek union representation and explain how these choices might be mitigated.
Union Representation: Discuss three of the top reasons that employees seek union representation and explain each reason in detail, supported by evidence.
Strategies: Describe two strategies that management can employ to avoid the three reasons chosen.
Mitigating Choice: Explain why the identified strategies might mitigate the choice of seeking union representation.
Sample Answer
In my role as a human resource professional, it is imperative to understand the multifaceted motivations behind employees' decisions to seek union representation. This understanding is crucial for advising stakeholders effectively and developing proactive, legally compliant strategies to foster a positive and productive work environment. By addressing the root causes of union interest, organizations can mitigate the desire for third-party intervention.
Union Representation: Top Reasons Employees Seek Union Representation
Employees often seek union representation for a combination of reasons that primarily revolve around issues of fairness, voice, and security. While various factors contribute, three of the top reasons consistently cited include:
Desire for Improved Wages, Benefits, and Working Conditions:
Explanation: This is perhaps the most traditional and frequently cited reason for unionization (Budd, 2011). Employees often perceive that a collective bargaining unit has more leverage to negotiate for better compensation packages, including higher hourly wages, increased salaries, comprehensive health insurance, retirement plans, paid time off, and other benefits, than individual employees do. Similarly, dissatisfaction with existing working conditions—such as unsafe environments, excessive workloads,