Union contracts with employees deals with every aspect of workers wages,benefits,hours,conditions of employment,intricacies and clauses in the contract.Contract administration involves interesting, applying and resolving collective bargaining conflicts and agreements.It is about what is or what is not in the contract. Interest disputes are conflicts of interests over wages,rates,benefits packages or personal policies.Rights disputes are disagreements over if ones rights have been violated, it is grievances over how the contracts is been administered.Employees can establish terms and conditions of employment under employment- at - will doctrine.Unions do not like employment at will doctrine.Unions want management to operate according to rules, instead of arbitrary decisions.Management claims they want flexibility and freedom to make decisions giving the situation.Management also want stability and discipline.

Union contracts are enforceable, it specifies the laws of the workplace in details.Contracts are for three years or more.Some contracts have re opener clauses, which means that contracts can be revised during the three years and not only at the end of the contract.For example, if the firm is making lots of profit during the second year of the contract, the contract can be reopen, renegotiated to include higher wages,better benefits from the huge profits.There is a need to strike a balance between efficiency,equity and voice in the union contracts that can be enforced through grievance procedures.Employees have rights,job rights and obligations.Unions also have rights and obligations.Management also have rights and obligations.On page 31 is the major components of traditional union contracts.Employee rights also includes seniority clauses, which prevents favoritism and discriminatory treatment of workers.It is more objective and difficult to manipulate or abuse by management.Seniority is a factor in promotion especially in the public sector, it is also applied in bumping and lay- offs.Other employee rights are compensation,benefits,severance pay, pensions holidays etc. Others are grievance procedures that have to be applied when employees challenge management actions that violate employee rights in the contracts.

Unions also have rights and obligations.Unions want recognition if and when a business is sold or privatized.Unions need to communicate freely with workers to enable unions represent workers effectively.Union security clauses includes close shops,union shops and agency shops situations.Unions have union obligations in return for union rights, unions give up the right to strike as a result of grievances.Unions are obligated to pursue orderly resolution of disputes that is specified in the grievance procedure.Unions also have a duty to fair representation of all employees.Labor relations will not be complete without balancing the interest of all stake holders.Management rights clause ensures that management sole authority in hiring, firing work assignments etc. for examples of public and private sector management rights.Union grievance procedures are divided into four four steps. The first step involves discussion between employee and management towards correcting a violation.The second step involves union union representation and management.The third step is higher union and management representatives.The third step resolution can be appealed by the union and it will lead to step four which is binding arbitration.Union grievance procedures are used for fair orderly resolution of disputes when enforcing contracts.

Grievances arbitration involves a hearing before a neutral third party, an arbitrator, who makes a decision that have to be obeyed by the parties. Rights arbitration focuses on rights disputes.An interest arbitrator establishes new terms and conditions of employment.Employee disciplined and discharge is one of the areas that is problematic for employees,union and management.Management would like to like to terminate or discipline employees who are sub standard, without union interference. Employee discipline contribute more to grievance arbitration hearings than any other issue.Under employment -at - will doctrine, employees can be discharged any time"for good cause""for no cause" or for cause morally wrong.Unions wants employees to be discharged only for "cause" or just cause.Just cause means that thee must be valid,supportable reasons for being disciplined or terminated.Unions wants the seven tests to be applied before being disciplined or terminated. .Unions also maintains that employees should have the right to representation if discipline or discharge is to be carried out by management.

QUESTIONS:

1 Do you support applying seniority in employment, promotion and bumping? Discuss.

2 Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the seniority system.

3 Are you in support of the seven tests before employee discipline and discharge?