Human Resource Problem in Steel Industry
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This research develops a human resource profile of, and examines a human resource problem concerning the steel industry in the United States (US). Within the parameters of the standard industrial classification system in the US, the industry group with which this research is concerned is number 331, steel works, blast furnaces, and rolling and finishing (Office of Management and Budget, 1987).The human resource profile and the human resource problem in this research are concerned with the industry's bluecollar workforce. Thus, five subclassifications of the steel industry are involved. These subindustrial classifications are (3312) steel works, blast furnacesincluding coke ovens, and rolling mills, (3313) electrometallurgical products, except steel, (3315) steel wiredrawing and steel nails and spikes, (3316) coldrolled steel sheet, strip, and bars, and (3317)steel pipe and tubes (Office of Management and Budget, 1987). Females account for 44.4 percent of the American workforce (Paxton, 1989). In the steel industry, however, females account for less than onequarter of the bluecollar work force (Paxton, 1989). A similar under representation exists with respect to ethnic and racial minority population groups. Output in the American steel industry in 1989 was just in excess of twothirds the output level of 1970 (Paxton, 1989). This problem is the result of a combination of the interrelated factors of foreign
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with little, if any, costs suffered by earnings on capital (Johnson, and Mieszkowski, 1970). Labor unions typically gain income for their members through the execution of collective bargaining agreements which
6both establish prices to be paid for labor, and limit the employment of nonunion labor.
While it might legitimately be argued that the existence of labor union contracts cause the wage rates for nonunion labor to rise, it is also evident that, by lessening the employment opportunities of nonunion labor, these same labor union contracts will tend to cause the total income share for nonunion labor to decrease. With respect to the costs to the owners of capital, in most instances, the higher wage costs won by labor unions for their menbers are passed on the the consumers of the companies' products; an action which effectively insulates the owners of capital from bearing the costs of wage increases.
Thus, if union contracts result in increased wage levels, and, if the owners of capital either pass along (or attempt to pass along) the increase to consumers, it is certainly possible for union activity to have unfavorably affected an industry's ability to compete with foreign producers not affected to the
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Some common words found in the essay are:
Steel Workers, Institute Technology, Johnson Mieszkowski, Peters Waterman, Additionally American, United Steel, HUMAN RESOURCE, Japan United, Output American, Employment Competitiveness, steel industry, american steel, united steel, labor unions, american steel industry, nonunion labor, labor union, japanese management, wage levels, human resource, income distribution, income distribution patterns, peters waterman 1982, steel workers union, united steel workers,
Approximate Word count = 3004
Approximate Pages = 12 (250 words per page)
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