Discussion – Labor Relations
What areas of disagreement emerge while a contract is in effect?
One of the areas of disagreement that emerges while a contract is in effect is wages (Guest et al., 2010). In most cases, employers are not willing to pay the amount requested by an employee. In some instances, employees may feel like they are doing too much compared to the money they are paid. Another area of disagreement is working conditions (Guest et al., 2010). An organization may be under pressure to meet targets hence pressuring employees to work harder. Some employees may feel that the pressure is too much and may opt for a pay rise or termination of their contract.
What actions by the parties violate the labor acts?
One of the actions that violate the Labor Act is setting long working hours. Employers are required to create a conducive working environment for their employees. Good working conditions are characterized by setting reasonable working hours to avoid overworking employees and meeting health and safety concerns (Fossum, 2014). Employees also have an obligation to pay employees for working overtime. The second action is reducing employee’s salaries to meet the financial needs of the company. In some instances, a business may face high operation costs forcing the employer to consider pay cuts to ensure there are enough funds to cater to important operations.
How can team-based work environments lead to proactive grievance procedures?
Having a team-based work environment means that employees work together to achieve a common objective. The employees in a team are also expected to follow specific rules to ensure that the task assigned to them is completed. A team-based work environment can lead to proactive grievance procedures by enabling employees to discuss the best procedures and agree on specific procedures. If the employees’ procedures are not implemented as requested, they can unite and force the employer to honor their wishes. They can also prompt action from their employer by striking or organizing a go-slow, which could affect the organization’s overall performance.
What does the union owe individual members in grievance processing?
The union owes individual members an investigation into the matter. This should be done to ensure that the grievance has merit (Fossum, 2014). The union should also represent the individual member by ensuring that their needs are met. It should also provide an argument that favors the individual member (Fossum, 2014). The union should also advise the individual member on what to do to address the grievance in their favor. For instance, it can guide the individual member on the amount of money they should request if the grievance involves monetary compensation.
What do critics say are some of the problems with arbitration?
One of the problems with arbitration is that it does not offer parties a chance to appeal. The second problem is that it is affected by biases which create a lack of transparency, mainly because the arbitration hearings are mostly done in private. The third problem is that the arbitration process has questionable fairness because selecting an arbitrator is subjective (Lew, 2013). This implies that arbitrators could be biased because they have a business relationship with one of the disputing parties. Another problem arises from mandatory arbitration. If parties are required to use arbitration because the contract considers it mandatory, the disputing parties do not have the flexibility to choose arbitration by consenting mutually. Arbitration is also unbalanced because most arbitration clauses favor employers when he or she is challenged by an employer who lacs an understanding of how arbitration works (Lew, 2013). Arbitration is also unpredictable because it uses evidence that a judge or jury may not consider. A ruling made by an arbitrator may not be considered appropriate in court or may require unconventional solutions that were not expected.
References
Fossum, J. A. (2014). Labor relations: Development, structure, process. McGraw-Hill Education.
Guest, D. E., Isaksson, K., & Witte, H. D. (2010). Undefined. Oxford University Press.
Lew, J. (2013). Contemporary problems in international arbitration. Springer Science & Business Media.
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Question 
Discussion – Labor Relations
Please answer the following questions thoroughly. Please be sure to cite sources, use APA formatting, and include a reference list.
Question:
1. What areas of disagreement emerge while a contract is in effect?
2. What actions by the parties violate the labor acts?
3. How can team-based work environments lead to proactive grievance procedures?
4. What does the union owe individual members in grievance processing?
5. What do critics say are some of the problems with arbitration?