Teachers Union: Trade Unions in The US - Research Paper Example

Teachers Union: Trade Unions in The US With the ever-increasing number of industries, employees, and democracy, there has been the need to form and join workers trade union. A trade union per see refers to an organization of unique group of workers that come together with an aim of seeking better working conditions or pay (Balanced politics.org, 2012). The phenomena of forming and joining trade unions has been there for some time and takes place in both the developing and developed nations that include the US. Different workers have different trade unions relating to their course of work. As such, trade unions advocate for divergent ideas depending on their composition. Employees join trade unions for basic reasons that include search for greater bargaining power (Donado and Wa¨lde, 2012), job security, minimum discrimination, platform for self-expression, greater participation, provision for representation in tribunals and disciplinary actions, provision of legal services, and ensure adherence to health and safety rules and regulations (npr, 2010). There are teachers unions in America that include the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers. The two follow a good organization structure and draw a lot of influence in education politics. National Union of Teachers is also a huge trade union (NUT, 2012). Nevertheless, there are major problems and opportunities associated with working with a union. Indeed, while the employees enjoy most of the benefits, the employers have very little to celebrate in working with a union (Donado and Wa¨lde, 2012). As such, the management must devise a better strategy that will address these challenges. Upon joining the union, the teachers in my profit making school will adhere to the terms of the union as well as those of the school. One of the challenges that the union will manifest to me is that it will subject me to exploitation by the teachers. To this end, I will make sure that we formulate a working and remuneration plan with the union, the teachers, and me to avoid future disagreements. The union may also lead to teachers’ strikes that would lead to closing the school (Balanced politics.org, 2012). I will evade this demerit by signing the terms of work, strikes, and how to address strikes beforehand. In this I will make it clear to the union and the teachers that incase of strikes, I will seek replacements and will not pay for days absconded. Again, the union is likely to demand dues directly from teachers’ paychecks. To this, I will bear the responsibility of remitting the dues to the union’s account. Furthermore, the union will advocate for much higher wages against what I am paying. Since, this is a profit making school; I cannot afford to extend the expenses by paying higher than normal wages. As such, I will negotiate an agreeable salary with the union for my teachers to make target profits. I may equally find myself on the wrong side of the law subject to violation of labor practices. To this, I will acquit myself with the requirements of the union, relate them with mine, and ascent where appropriate. The union has a tendency of denying the management rights to lay off or fire less proficient workers thus leading to inefficiency in the organization. In a profit making school, this will definitely lead to losses, as students will transfer to performing schools. To this effect, I will advocate for the retention of my right to hire and fire any employee subject to their performance before signing the engagement contract. I will equally, advocate for the reservation of my right to appreciate, motivate, and promote performing teachers. This will shield me from the possibility of the union dictating pay levels on basis of seniority rather than performance. These strategies will enable me to work fairly and efficiently with the union. Organizational Changes Due to Union However, it is worth noting that there will be organizational changes due to the union presence in my school. First, the union will deny me the right to make universal decisions affecting the school. I will have to consult and engage the union officials before making any decision that will affect the teachers. Indeed, the making of decisions might involve voting where the majority wins. At the same time, I will have to include the union officials in the management of the school. In a union workplace, the majority makes decisions for the entire workforce. In the same breath, the union fosters and leads to more employer-employee communications. This can improve productivity. Moreover, the presence of the union will promote better job production standards, seniority-based rewards, and better management accountability. Indeed, the union will deal directly with the management. Furthermore, the union will use its monopoly power to force me to pay better wages and benefits. Handling Conflicts, Change, and Leadership As the leader in the school management, I am bound to encounter these conflicts and changes subject to the presence of the union (Ryland and Sadler, 2008). As such, I have to develop ways of handling the situation. I will hence engage in discussions with the union officials on the best ways of remuneration, better standards of working, and how to make management decisions. Nevertheless, I will not relent o my quest to make profits and hence I will advocate for engagement contracts that will foster organizational profits and better terms of service for the teachers. I will hence, appoint executive union officials to the school management board to ensure the smooth learning of the school and clear communication in the school. To avoid exploitation by the union, I will advocate for signing of the terms of service, appraisals, and performance contacts by all teachers before joining the school. I will equally equip myself with the terms of the union to avoid violations and conflicts. I will also one teacher as a member of the board to represent his colleagues and present their grievances in real time. Identifying Stakeholders In this case, the stakeholders of my profit making school will definitely change with the inclusion of the union. Indeed, the stakeholders of the school will now include the parents, the students, the teachers, the teachers union, the partners, the sponsors, and the government. In fact, the fact that the fact that the government recognizes the union, the public will also form part of the stakeholders of the school. Effect on Stakeholders by the Union The union will affect the management of the school thus generally affecting all stakeholders (Ryland and Sadler, 2008). The union affects the teachers in that it will advocate for their rights better working conditions, and better pay (Donado and Wa¨lde, 2012). The union affects the partners in that its quest to increase the teacher’s salaries will lead to low profits and thus fewer shares to the partners. The union will affect the parents and students if it leads to strikes or other acts that will demean the delivery and quality of education to the students. The union will equally affect the management in that it will force it to be accountable and transparent. At the same time, the union will affect the government in that it will remit the teacher’s dues to the government and must abide by the stated rules and regulations of representation. Conclusion Unions are very significant to both employees and employers. Teachers unions are part or trade unions in the US. The members of a union enjoy the benefits upon joining and remitting the required dues. Nevertheless, workers have the liberty to join a trade union at will. Trade unions advocate for better working conditions and better pay for its members among other responsibilities. However, in doing this, they may lead to strikes that would jeopardize the productivity of any organization. They also use their monopoly to exploit the employers and thus employers are mostly on a collision with the teachers unions. They have significant and direct effect in the management and human resources of an organization. Moreover, they affect almost all the stakeholders of an organization whose workers belong to a trade union. References Alas, R. (2007). Organizational Change from Learning Perspective. Problems and Perspectives in Management,5(2). Balanced politics.org. (2012). Are Labor Unions a Good Thing? Balanced politics. Retrieved from: http://www.balancedpolitics.org/unions.htm Donado, A and Wa¨lde, K. (2012). How trade unions increase welfare. The Economic Journal,122 (561). npr. (2010). The Role Of Teachers' Unions In Education. npr. Retrieved from: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=130675529 NUT. (2012). NUT. NUT. Retrieved from: http://www.teachers.org.uk/ Ryland, R and Sadler, D. (2008). Revitalizing the trade union movement through internationalism: The grassroots perspective. Journal of Organizational Change Management, 21(4). Read More