Unit 5.5 - Labor Relations

Question 1

What are the 4 anti-union tactics?

Answer 1

During the 1800s; most aren’t legal anymore

• Conspiracy Doctrine - judges found that unions caused or planned to cause an injustice to other people or society
• Court Injunctions - a court order that directs people to refrain from pursuing a course of action; in most cases, protects property rights (ex. running a business, hiring workers)
• Yellow-Dog Contracts - A statement employees were required to sign in which they agreed to not join a union
• Antitrust Statutes - restrict union activities

Question 2

What is the Norris-Laguardia Act?

Answer 2

AKA Federal Anti-Injunction Act

• Encouraged formation of labor unions
• Neutralized power between employee & employers
• Limited courts power to intervene
• Limited court injunctions
• Outlaws Yellow Dog Contracts

Focused on courts

Question 3

What are the 4 threats to Collective Bargaining?

Answer 3

• Industrial Espionage - employers hired agents to spy on union members
• Attacks on Union Leaders - union leaders are killed, beaten, etc.
• Strikebreaking - employers try to make strikes ineffective
• Company Unions - companies form their own union to try to resolve issues with employees but often for the benefit of the company

Question 4

What is the Wagner Act?

Answer 4

AKA the NLRA (National Labor Relations Act, 1935)

Established the legal right for labor unions to exist

• Concentrated on supporting employee rights to self organize, bargain collectively
• Unfair labor practices - interfering with employee rights, labor unions, allowing union membership to affect hiring, firing, etc., discriminating against an employee who’s filed a charge with the NLRB, refusing to bargain in good faith
• Established the NLRB

Question 5

What is the Taft-Hartley Act?

Answer 5

AKA the Labor Management Relations Act

Amended NLRA to look out more for employers

• Unfair labor practices by unions
• Unions cannot restrain or coerce employees in the exercising of their collective bargaining rights
• Rights of employees as individuals
• Unions are not allowed to force an employer to discriminate in any way against an employee in order to encourage or discourage union membership
• Rights of employers
• Unions must bargain in good faith with employers regarding mandatory bargaining items (ex. pay, hours, etc.)
• National emergency strikes
• Secondary boycotts are illegal; authorized the President to intervene in strikes or potential strikes that create a national emergency
• Outlaws Featherbedding, AKA forcing employers to pay for work that’s not needed or performed

Unions can’t conduct certain types of strikes or boycotts

Unions are not allowed to charge excessive initiation or membership fees when all employees are required to join a union shop

Question 6

What is the Landrum-Griffin Act?

Answer 6

AKA the Labor Management and Reporting Disclosure Act

Another amendment to NLRA; increased government control of labor relations and regulates internal conduct of unions

• Bill of rights for union members
• Grants equal rights and privileges to every union member regarding nominating candidates, voting in elections, etc.
• Reports to the Secretary of Labor
• Labor union must submit a copy of their constitution of bylaws and their financial reports
• Union trusteeships
• If an International union takes control of a local union, it must justify its actions and provide financial reports
• Conduct of union elections
• National unions must hold an election at least once every 5 years, local unions every 3 years; voting must be by secret ballot; election results should be retained for 1 year
• Financial safeguards - union officers have strict accordance to manage and invest union funds with the constitution of the union; unions are not allowed to loan more than $2,000 to their members