AT&T Company Information - Essay Example

AT & T Inc has been accused of inhuman treatment of their employees and overtime payment row to their middle managers in a number of states (Sterling Attorneys, 2011). In the first case, AT&T was accused of requiring employees to stand all day when attending to customers in newly acquired stores notwithstanding the extended hours of operation to 12-13 hours a day. AT&T was in breach of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA) which stipulates the minimum wage and overtime pay. In order to minimize possible litigation, AT & T will have to pay their employees for additional time worked above the legally recommended minimum working hours.

It is not only individuals that enjoy a wide range of benefits arising by virtue of being a member of a trade union but also organizations. For instance, organizations stand a better chance of identifying challenges faced by their workers owing to liaison with workers representatives. This gives an opportunity to tackle the problems faced by employees in due time. The Unionization process begins with gathering information about whether there is an existing union in the organization. If there is an existing union then an individual will contact them for further information.

In case no union exists in the organization then employees will have to build their own union by coming together to sign an “Authorization” card. The next step involves making the union official by holding a secret ballot election under the supervision of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). The workers can also make their union official by asking the employer to voluntarily recognize the association. The trade unions tend to bargain through collective bargain whereby the union agents on behalf of the unionized employees, petition the employer to take into consideration a particular interest of the employees such as pay rise or improved working condition.

Unions bring about serious implications for employers. In case the union disagrees on the terms, then they can call for strikes or increase operation cost of the organization in case the bargain is about pay rise and improving working condition.