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ORGANIZED LABOR AND
THE MANAGEMENT COMMUNITY:
AN OVERVIEW
SUMMARY
Despite continuing management enmity, unionism has shown absolutely no tendency to
retreat. Over five times as many workers are union members today as was the case in 1932, and the
labor union seems to be very much here to stay. Indeed, union strength is highly concentrated in
areas that are strategic to our economy and thus labor has an influence that is actually understated
by simple membership totals.
The fast-growing white collar sector, however, has been relatively unreceptive to unions.
Several reasons involving union imagery, weak union leadership, and certain unique general white
collar characteristics that might work against unionization in any event are probably responsible for
this. On the other hand, there are also grounds for union optimism here. Highly visible union
successes in increasing blue collar wages may attract white collar workers. So, too, might the advent
to unionism of governmental employees, in the process weakening the traditional association of
organized labor with manual work. Improved prospects for more able labor leadership and the
increasingly less enviable atmosphere in which many white collar employees work may also help
unions organize in the white collar sector. From the union viewpoint, cases for both pessimism and
optimism can be erected.
The many workers who have joined unions would appear to have done so because of a broad
network of needs on their part. Of these, the needs for safety, social affiliation, and to a lesser extent,
self-esteem, appear to be of primary importance to employees in contemporary America. Similarly,
the management resistance to union inroads is also derived from a wide array of specific causes,
even though the desire to retain decision-making authority in managerial hands lies at the heart of
most of them.
In the governmental employee sector, the considerable recent union penetration appears to
have stemmed primarily from favorable legal developments, from the public servant’s increasing
unhappiness as remuneration packages have fallen farther and farther behind that of private
employment, and from the general collective action spirit of the times. Controversy continues as to
whether public servants should be allowed the strike weapon, with increasing support for granting it
to many of them (policemen and firemen not included) under certain conditions. More ominous
tidings for public sector unionism, however, now seem to lie in the general taxpayers’ revolt and its
corollary messages that “labor peace” at any price is no longer acceptable to the electorate, and that
public officials can perhaps fare well with the voters by standing up to unions.
In overview, chapter 1 also touches upon the general progress made in the union-
management relationship in the relatively recent past, and the vulnerability of this relationship
(despite the progress) to governmental control because of the increasingly high level of public
expectation concerning collective bargaining.
True/False # 1
1.
increasing.
F
The incidence of strikes in American union-management relations has been steadily
2.
years.
F
Organized labor has expanded its membership rather significantly in the past few
3.
Over five times as many workers are union members today as was the case in 1932.
T
4.
T
5.
Six states alone account for over half of all union members in this country.
T
6.
unionized.
T
In both North Carolina and South Carolina less than 5 percent of the labor force is
7.
Taxicab drivers in Chicago are members of the Seafarers International Union.
T
8.
construction.
T
Less than 15 percent of U.S workers are now employed in manufacturing and
9.
Jacques Cousteau is the current president of the Teamsters.
F
10.
unionism.
F
By and large, women have historically been considered likely candidates for
11.
F
San Francisco sanitation workers were averaging $100,000 (including overtime) in
12.
Wal–Mart is today the nation’s largest private employer.
T
13.
Need Hierarchy.
F
A. H. Murtrie is the father of a widely-accepted theory of motivation known as the
14.
United States.
F
Approximately 25,000 labor-management contracts are currently in force in the
15.
F
16.
Individualism is a word that ranks low on the union scale of values.
T
17.
The AFL-CIO’s full name is the American Federation of Labor-Congregation of
Industrial Operations.
F
18.
headquarters in the United States.
T
Approximately 1.5 million Canadians belong to international unions with
19.
force.
F
There are at present some 16.3 million unionized people in the United States labor
20.
Close to 40 percent of all governmental employees are unionized.
T
21.
Relatively few Alaskans are unionized.
F
22.
Relatively few Hawaiians are unionized.
F
23.
F
24.
The American Federation of Teachers has grown almost fourteen-fold since the
1960s.
25.
collectively.
Nurses on the east and west coasts are far more often than not bargained for
By 2008 an estimated 22 million public employees were in union ranks.
30.
Federation of Firefighters.
The fastest growing union in the nation until quite recently has been the American
31.
covered by collective bargaining contracts.
The heavy majority of members of the National Education Association are now
32.
years.
The Fraternal Order of Police has not grown much in organizational size in recent
33.
Probably no more than 10 percent of potential union members in the public sector are
39.
In large measure, the Federal Labor Relations Authority duplicates the private
Federal agencies are now expressly prohibited from arbitrating labor disputes.
41.
Under the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978, federal agencies must deduct dues of
President George H.W. Bush reacted to a PATCO strike by firing the strikers.
44.
The AFL-CIO believes that all public sector strikes, except for those creating a
46.
Democrats.
Republicans tend to be tougher in their labor relations with public employees than do
47.
George Pataki is president of the AFL-CIO.
49.
The roots of management opposition to unionism are essentially rational ones as
50.
Will Rogers once said that “a politician is a person who will double–cross a bridge
True/False # 2
1.
The fictional small-town businessman George F. Babbitt was the title character in a
2.
All unions exclude workers currently on strike from the membership figures that
7.
There are today more union members in California than there are in ten southern
10.
The ten largest U.S. unions in 2008 accounted for about one-third of all union
11.
The number of white collar workers in the United States approximately equals the
12.
Less than 15 percent of workers in U.S. industry are now employed in
17.
The last four General Presidents of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters have
19.
In a recent year, unionized workers in the United States had median weekly
20.
In a recent year, non-union workers in the United States had median weekly
21.
In 2003 an AFL-CIO poll found that 75 percent of all Americans “generally approved”
22.
A Gallup Poll in 1985 revealed that the public ranked labor leaders next to last—just
26.
The AFL-CIO has estimated that three-quarters of all managements today turn to
Copyright ©2010 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall
27.
The AFL-CIO has estimated that managements now pay labor relations consultants
29.
Some unions have reported fewer members than they actually have for financial
31.
Compared to the national average, Wisconsin, Rhode Island, and Connecticut are
32.
Most of the employees at both Disneyland and Disney World belong to the Screen
33.
Secretaries at Columbia University are today represented by the Newspaper Guild.
35.
In recent years, many graduate students at both Brown and Yale have unionized.
36.
Between 1940 and 1960, the nation’s governmental work force almost quadrupled.
37.
In recent years, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees
38.
The American Federation of Teachers increased from 60,000 members in 1960 to over
39.
During the 1960s and 1970s American Federation of Government Employees
44.
Herbert Hoover said, “There is no right to strike against the public safety by
50.
Generally speaking, the public increasingly has become a little more tolerant of union
Multiple Choice # 1
1. The right of workers to organize and bargain collectively was first protected by statute in the
2. In most recent years, strikes have consumed __________ percent of the total working time.
3. At present, the unionized percentage of all United States workers is approximately
5. One of the nation’s ten largest unions is the
6. In 2008 the largest international in terms of membership size was the
7. Featherbedding is
9. A National Basketball Association lockout of players took place in
10. In a widely-circulating joke, the last person ever to see Jimmy Hoffa was
11. In recent years, a real wage improvement has rarely been received by the
unionized
12. At present, the approximate number of engineers in union ranks is
13. Research suggests that the greatest single motivator of workers joining unions is
dissatisfaction with the extent of gratification of
14. The $52,000 that UAW-represented workers at General Motors, Ford and Chrysler received
as gross pay in 2008 (without overtime) was, compared to what the average U.S. worker got
paid in the same year,
15. In 2008 full-time dock workers on the west coast averaged (including overtime)
16. In recent years, the American Nurses Association, as far as its membership figures are
concerned,
17. The first U.S. President ever to grant official recognition to federal government employees to
bargain collectively was President
18. E. O. 10988 provided for
19. In the case of bargaining deadlocks, E. O. 10988 provided for
20. The first state to grant legal protection to unionized public employees was
21. In 1970, an unprecedented federal sector eight-day strike was carried on by the employees of
the
22. In 1981 Ronald Reagan fired the striking members of
23. In 1995, John J. Sweeney was elected president of
24. In 1979,
25. The public
Multiple Choice # 2
1. In recent years,
2. The non-unionized blue collar worker is definitely a rarity in
3. At least 90 percent of manufacturing-plant workers are now covered by union
contract in
4. Less than 5 percent of the non-agricultural labor force belongs to a union in
5. Only one of the following was among the nation’s ten largest internationals in 2008:
6. Between 1948 and 2008, the United Mine Workers Union
7. The United Automobile Workers currently represents
8. Walter Reuther was a
9. Tony Boyle was a
10. Most employees at both Disneyland and Disney World are
11. The highest need that anyone could possibly have, according to A. H. Maslow, is the need for
12. Several labor organizations refer to their local unions as
13. Tight labor markets are those
14. Internal union correspondence has traditionally been closed by the greeting
15. Labor relations consultants usually
16. Among seminar topics favored by labor relations consultants are
17. Labor relations consultants are often called by unions
18. The current president of the Teamsters is
19. Most senior pilots at major U.S. airlines annually earn
20. Most members of the National Education Association
21. Over 75 percent of public employees are unionized in
22. The AFL-CIO’s Public Employee Department
23. The initials PATCO are associated with
24 The nation’s flight controllers, between 1970 and 1981, went out on strike
25. In recent years, public sector unions have generally worked hard for
Essay Questions
1. In your opinion, how accurate is it to say that “trade union membership is concentrated and
strongest where strength counts most of all”?
2. “White collar workers possess certain unique general properties that may tend to work
against unionization in any event.” Discuss fully.
3. Summarize the three factors offered in the chapter as having been particularly responsible
for the growth of public sector unionism. Would you add any other factors to this list?
4. “People have tended to join unions for reasons that would appear to be, from their own
viewpoints, extremely logical.” Discuss the validity of this quotation fully.
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5. “As is not the case in other countries, unions in the United States really have gone about as
far as they can go.” Explain, with specifics, what this statement—involving union
membership—might mean.
6. Erect as strong a case as you can for union optimism in the white collar area.
7. “A union is an employer-regulating device.” Explain.
8. It has been said that many of the major values of the labor movement have bothered
management sufficiently to generate considerable managerial opposition to unions on these
grounds alone. What values, specifically?
Term Paper Topics
1. An evaluation of the coverage of labor union activities by a selected newspaper. How
objective and impartial does the treatment appear to be?
2. White collar unionism in the United States in the next decade: An attempt to predict its
future size and shape.
3. Labor leadership: “Aging white men guarding their gains,” or not? (This topic can, of course,
logically be approached by means of personal interviews with union leaders as well as
through a review of relevant publications.)
4. Managerial resistance to unionism: How deeply rooted, how widespread and how logical is it?
(Personal interviews here, too, can be featured.)
5. Should public sector unionists be allowed to strike under any conditions? An appraisal of
both the record to date and the arguments that have been advanced for and against the
strike weapon for the public employee.
6. The effect of unionism on major league baseball.
7. The consequences of the firing by Ronald Reagan of the striking air traffic controllers in 1981
for unions in the years immediately following.
8. Collective bargaining in the teaching profession: Has it helped or hurt the educational
process?
9. How celebrities view the labor union that represents them. (Personal interviews with people
in the world of entertainment, the media, or sports—all of which are union bastions—can, of
course, provide considerable excitement. For most students, however, an ambitious written
questionnaire would presumably be more practical, and still constitute an intrinsically
interesting project.)
10. Crime and organized labor: How much connection is there?
11. Public opinion regarding unions through the years.