Many companies have never had a union or have had one that has been de-certified. If a company wants to remain a union-free shop, it must take care to develop and maintain policies that will balance the needs of the company to make a fair profit with the legitimate needs of the workers. Managers must remember that economic issues are not the only issues that concern the work era.
Making union unnecessary
It is not uncommon for companies to clearly state their commitment to remain union-free and try to persuade employees that the company has their best interests at heart.
A format policy statement is frequently made to indicate that the success of the company is based on the skill and efforts of its employees and that in the opinion of the management, unionization would interfere with the respect that the company has for its employees.
The statement might go on to say that a union-free environment is in the best interest of the employees, the customers, and the company itself. Such a statement may be included in an employee handbook and emphasized during new employee orientation sessions.
The company should be very careful in its policy considerations to consider all effects a given policy will have on the union-free environment. In some situations, a company may have paid a substantial price to maintain its nonunion status.
For example, a company fearing a union may be very generous in granting wage increases in an attempt to discourage union organizers. But the company may find that the cost increases cannot be fully supported by the market price of its product, thereby decreasing the company’s bottom line.
Having made such sacrifices to remain union-free, the company must not risk its union-free status over some minor disagreement with the workforce. These issues cannot-left to change but need to be a part of a comprehensive human resource management strategy that is linked s corporate and business unit strategies.
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