Industrial relations involves the dealings or relations of an industrial concern with its employees in general and with the public. It also involves the administration of such relations, especially to maintain goodwill for an industrial concern.
The process of controlling industrial relations involves the use of ethical codes and customs as well as laws. Informal methods are also used when negotiating trade agreements, the terms of trade agreements and the conduct of arbitration. Informal methods refers to ideas about good and bad practices,, and fair and unfair settlement terms. However, for the most part, legislation is the primary controlling factor in industrial relations. The controls have been instituted to protect all parties and specifically to reduce abnormal behavior and practices by employers or unions (Rowan & Northrup, 1968, pp. 529-37).
However, as can be seen by the infiltration of organized crime and the use of racketeering practices, this ideal state is often not possible; and legislation and law enforcement have not been able to stop the use of these practices or the union leaders or crime figures who employ them.
The American Federation of Labor was founded in 1886 and
was the craft-union model of labor organization. The craft unions concern a particular skilled occupation (e.g., carpenters, plumbers, bricklayers). Its goal was to cope with the changing American economy and social environment. The Committee for
Industrial Organization joined the AFL in 1955. Its model was industrial unionism, whose membership was based on employment in an industry, rather than on employment in a particular skilled occupation. Examples of this would include the autoworkers and steelworkers.
The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) is made up of 129 different national and international unions, which in turn have more than 60,000 local unions. Basic union poli...