Posted: April 21st, 2016

Should current grievance and arbitration procedures be revised?

1.
Seniority is an important issue in the collective bargaining and contract administration process; seniority affects all areas of contract administration, including managements rights. Unions contend that seniority protects their members against arbitrary and capricious treatment at the hand of the employer, as well as protecting the employees against during economic downturns. However, proponents of equal employment opportunity, diversity, and affirmative action have argued that seniority helps to maintain the good old boys network thereby increasing the impact of racial, ethnic, and gender discrimination in the workplace. Discuss the pros and cons of union protected seniority systems and argue for your point of view regarding their place in today s work environment.
Referencing the course materials, Web sites, and other resources in APA style, support your position with a discussion of:
Seniority s effect on wages and benefits.

Seniority s effect on working conditions and work rules.

The impact of seniority on employment protections and job security in union and nonunion environments.

Management s response to the impact of seniority on these working conditions including a discussion of the impact of seniority protections on managements rights.

Your viewpoint on these issues and supporting arguments regarding that viewpoint.

2.
Engrained in the U.S. collective bargaining practice is the principle that management acts and the union reacts or as more commonly stated: management manages, the union grieves. As a result, both unions and management have come to rely on grievance and arbitration procedures.
Do you agree or disagree with the statement management manages, unions grieve ? Why or why not?

Do you believe that grievance and arbitration procedures serve a useful purpose in labor management relationships in today s workplace environments? Argue for your point of view.

Should current grievance and arbitration procedures be revised? If so, what do you recommend? Support your answer.
Support your views with the following, referencing the course materials, Web sites, and personal experience:
Management s traditional approach to expanding discretion over work rules, including managements rights.

Reasons why grievances are filed; cite one example.

Functions of the grievance and arbitration procedures; and connections between grievance procedures and other aspects of labor management relationships.

Evaluating the performance of a grievance system.