Employee Selection Process

Joining a union can be very beneficial for some employees and the employer since these unions claim they favor democracy in the workplace but this can be “vice versa” for others. In this paper I will describe the pros and cons that come with labor unions and some of the challenges that come on a day to day basis for non-union companies that are confronted with the possibilities of union efforts to organize employees. I will also explain whether or not unions will continue to have meritorious place in modern society.

Pros and Cons of Labor Unions

One of the main advantages of a labor union is the improved job security. An employee cannot be fired “just cause” if they are a member of a union. Wages can be increased if members of the union come as one and negotiate better pay which is a main goal; and the union will communicate on their behalf. It has been shown that union workers earn between 8.9 – 12.4 % more than non- union workers (Milkovich, Newman, & Gerhart 2014). If there seems to be any issues with working conditions, the labor union will allow employees to speak as a group. This seems to worker better and gain more respect than if an individual employee tried to speak on any change. Another great advantage are the benefits. Employees are guaranteed a certain amount of benefits when joining a union but the terms of benefits are left up to the company in a non-union situation.

It can be very frustrating for workers that become unsatisfied with the representation of the union, especially while voting to get rid of the union as this process can take some time. A huge disappointment can come from hard workers that are devalued simply because some workers deserve higher pay than others. This can cause a lack of motivation and no one strives to be high quality workers or to do better because there is no possibility of a division within the company. With that being said it has also been known for several employees to receive too much information and tend to “abuse the system” since they know what they can and cannot be fired for, this is information that has usually been exposed by the labor unions.

Challenges of Non-Union Companies

Some non-union employees may feel they do not have the same rights as union employees if they do not have the correct knowledge when it comes to a certain issue but they do, it just needs to be addressed in a different manner. Similar to human resource departments, employee committees are very common in nonunion companies and normally consists of the employees and managers to meet on a regular basis to serve the interest of the employees to make decision as union workers would which include benefits, better wages and hours, safe work conditions, and procedures for promotions, discipline, and termination. Even though non-union employees do not have much bargaining power, a company does not have the