Question
Unit Four-Discrimination Part 3
Using APA style format, write a paper of 4-5 pages describing the provisions of the following major labor laws as well as their impact on organizations and the union-management relationship:
¥ The Railway Labor Act
¥ The Norris-La Guardia Act
¥ The Wagner Act
¥ The Taft-Hartley Act
¥ The Landrum-Griffin Act
Answer
Unit Four-Discrimination Part 3
Abstract
Labor in each and every single country is paramount in the production of goods and services in that particular company. In normal circumstances, labor is divided into two broad categories; the skilled and unskilled labor. However, one cannot do without the other and thus both skilled and unskilled labor goes hand in hand. To be able to manage the labor force, a nation has to formulate and implement labor laws that ensure the safety of both the employer and the employee. These labor laws highly depend on with individual countries and the nature, location and level of skills of the parties involved (Srivastava, 2007). The sole of the labor laws is to mediate the relationship between workers, employers, trade unions, the government and all labor stakeholders.
Introduction
To observe the rule of law, justice and fairness in all levels of employment, these labor laws, rules and regulations should be highly respected by all stakeholders. A good labor relation should ensure a mutually beneficial relationship among all parties involved. Below are some of the labor acts and provisions that are widely used around the globe.
The railway labor act
The railway labor act is one of the oldest and prominent labor laws but operates in the United States alone. This Act governs labor relations in the railroad and airline industries. The Act was enacted back in 1926 but has had several amendments back in 1934 and in 1936 to address changes in the transportation industry. The primary purpose of this labor law is to bargain, arbitrate and mediate for strikes as a formal method of resolving any conflict and disagreement. In the beginning, the provisions of this act were under the board of mediation but later on, the enforcement of all its provisions was transferred to the National Mediation Board (Bamber, 2010).
The railway labor act applies to all freight and commuter railroads, airlines and all transportation organizations. Some of the most important purposes of this Act include:
- To avoid any interruption to commerce
- To ensure the rights and claims of workers to join labor union are not hindered.
- To provide the necessary independence among all stakeholders especially the employer and employee
- To promote peaceful and prompt settlement of disputes and disagreements and cover all aspects of reward, work rules and working conditions.
- To provide for peaceful settlement of disputes emerging from implementation of contracts
The Norris-la Guardia Act
The Norris-La Guardia Act is a rule implement in 1932 in the United States that prohibited all yellow-dog contracts. Moreo0ver, the rule barred all federal courts from issuing injunctions against nonviolent labor disputes. In the early days, employers could not allow their employees to join any kind of union and in so, they would require all employees to sign an agreement to pledge that they would not join any union. Any violation of this agreement would lead to a sack. However, the Norris-la Guardia Act was enacted to protect employees from that provision and the Act stated that employees were free to join any union and association of their choice.
The Wagner Act
The Wagner Act protects the private sector employees more than the public sector employees. The act guarantees fundamental rights of the private sector workers to establish and join trade unions, Association and engage in any collective bargaining activity to demand their rights. However, this act is unique and extraordinary because it does not cover employees who work in the public sector and neither does it cover general contractors (Coslovsky, 2014). The act seeks to protect private sector employees from oppression from a privately owned organization that may prove hard to be controlled by the government.
The Taft-Hartley Act
The Taft-Hartley Act is also widely known as the labor management relations act came into existence in 1947 and its main purpose is to put all labor unions and associations in check. Surprisingly, the act is seen to contradict the Wagner Act. While the Wagner Act gives power to employees to join unions, the Taft-Hartley Act attempts to put the powers of these unions in check by monitoring their activities to ensure they do not cross the set boundary.
The Landrum-Griffin Act
The relationship between the top management and their followers is paramount for the execution of organization plans. As a result, the Landrum-Griffin Act also known as the labor management reporting and disclosure act attempt to restrict the relationship between union officials and members (Srivastava, 2007). The act regulates the internal affairs and the officials of the labor association to ensure that they neither misuse the power vested in them nor the funds set aside to fund the operations of these unions. Moreover, this act monitors the relationship between the union leaders and employees.
In conclusion, we can say that all these labor laws help to create a free and conducive working environment where all both the interest of the employer and employee is considered. Without the laws, those in power would seek ways to oppress the employees and the employees would not abide by the morals and laws that are supposed to be observed in the workplace.
References
Bamber, G. J. (2010). Regulating employment relations, work and labour laws: international comparisons between key countries.
Coslovsky, S. V. (2014). Flying under the radar? The state and the enforcement of labour laws in Brazil. Oxford Development Studies, 42(2),, 190-216.
Srivastava, S. C. (2007). Industrial relations and labour laws. Vikas Publishing House.
