Collective Bargaining and Human Resource Managers

Human resource managers are typically involved in setting up the pay schedules and work environment for organizations. In many small organizations, these arrangement are made directly with the company's managers and employees; in larger organizations, there may be collective bargaining units (unions)

which negotiate on behalf of employees. Human resource

professionals must be able to negotiate effectively, or to hire

negotiators to represent the company's interest, recognizing that the relationship between employees and management is a mutually beneficial one, but one which can also put the various parties at crosspurposes. This research investigates the collective bargaining process in general, and considers the specific problems which human resource professionals face when dealing collective bargaining in professional sports organizations.

While collective bargaining guidelines are wellestablished for traditional industries such as automobiles and steel, collective bargaining in professional sports is a relatively new development. It is only recently that players have been allowed to exercise some "free agency" with regard with which team they are associated, and some players continue to be traded among teams against their preferences. Contracts are negotiated on an individual basis by players' agents and managers, but there are collective bargaining agreements which govern general contract provisions for all players. This is conside

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n a total strike, all unionized employees refuse to work. In partial strikes, many employees go on strike but some continue to work. This is typically used in the public sector so that essential services can continue to be offered. In a slowdown, all employees report to work, but the union insists that all work rules are followed precisely. As a result, productivity drops. All strikes, or the threat of strikes, have an impact on whatever negotiations may be in process; in some cases, employers are eager to avoid a strike, in other cases, the employer may seek to "bust the union." Advantages and Disadvantages of Collective Bargaining Proponents of collective bargaining argue that it takes advantage of the little power that workers have in a business environment. Controlling neither the capital nor the other inputs for a company's success, labor has only its own skills on which it can rely. By using the influence of its collective numbers, a union is able to bring a level of power to the negotiating table, which is similar to the power that the owners and managers bring. Certainly the threat of a strike or a slowdown can be a strong negotiating tool. In this way, the union can negotiate better terms of employment for all employee

Category: Business - C