Collective Bargaining

Posted: October 17th, 2013

Collective Bargaining

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Collective Bargaining

A key feature present in the traditional pattern of industrial relations in the United States depicted itself in the form of Job control through contractual regulation. Job control in the traditional pattern was characterized by comprehensive and highly formalized contracts put in force by a grievance arbitration system (Feis, 2002). This organization system offered specified employees working duties and rights linked to specific jobs; and strict demarcation lines separating bargaining units from supervisory work as well as from each other. The differing key feature in joint pattern of industrial relations lies behind macro economic policy expectations that would offer economic support for collective bargaining. In this case, the management in the government is expected to offer expandable markets and economic growth supporting wage policies dominating collective bargaining. These wage policies have a heavy reliance on wage comparison principles and steady rising wage levels (Friedman, 2001).

A second key factor in the traditional pattern of industrial relations is the political system environment. This means employees supported free enterprise principles and rejected the transformation of the capitalist system. The platform of this pattern favored labor and social policy improvements that benefit all employees (Feis, 2002). This pattern also had a provision for collective bargaining for building and expanding. As for the joint pattern industrial relation, the system has collective bargaining system principle. In this case, the management has the freedom to make managerial and entrepreneurial decisions. Employees in this pattern have a chance of negotiating over managerial decisions on salaries, working hours as well as other employment conditions. However, this can only be achieved through unions (Friedman, 2001).

In my opinion, I believe the Joint pattern is most beneficial to employees compared to the traditional pattern. This is because employees in this pattern have a chance of negotiating their salaries as well as working hours in cases where the management appears to have discriminated them. Employees in the traditional pattern did not enjoy this privilege.

References

Feis, H. (January 01, 2002). Recent development in industrial relations in the United States. International Labour Review, 12.

Friedman, S., & Wood, S. (January 01, 2001). Employers’ unfair advantage in the United States of America: Symposium on the Human Rights Watch Report on the State of workers’ freedom of association in the United States. British Journal of Industrial Relations, 39, 4.)