Labor Laws, Unionization and the Workplace

A good place to start familiarizing yourself with legal issues involving unions in the workplace is by looking over the National Labor Relations Board website at:

National Labor Relations Board. The NLRB Process. Retrieved from https://www.nlrb.gov/resources/nlrb-process

You should familiarize yourself with the following laws and their amendments:

U.S. Department of Labor. (2017) Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act, As Amended. Retrieved from https://www.dol.gov/olms/regs/compliance/compllmrda.htm

HR Hero (2017). National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). Retrieved at http://topics.hrhero.com/national-labor-relations-act-nlra/

National Labor Relations Board. (n.d.) 1947 Taft-Hartley Substantive Provisions. Retrieved from https://www.nlrb.gov/who-we-are/our-history/1947-taft-hartley-substantive-provisions

Case Assignment

After you have reviewed the above laws, view the video and read the following articles concerning the labor unrest that occurred at Verizon.

Communication Workers of America (2016). What #VictoryAtVerizon Means to Us | 2016 Verizon Strike | CWA Video. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YwWKNLiiiFY

Dayen, D. (April 15, 2016). The Verizon Strike Signals a Larger Economic Battle. New Republic. https://newrepublic.com/article/132707/verizon-strike-signals-larger-economic-battle

Scheiber, N. (May 20, 2016). Verizon Strike to End as Both Sides Claim Victories on Key Points. New York Times. Retrieved from Trident Online Library.

Sherk, J. (April 13, 2016) Verizon Strike No Morality Play. The National Review. Retrieved from http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/434050/verizon-strike-landline-workers-go-strike

Smith, A. (April 15, 2016) Verizon Strike Not as Intimidating As It Appears. Retrieved at https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/labor-relations/pages/verizon-strike-lower-numbers.aspx

Stangler, C. (April 15, 2016) 40,000 Verizon Workers Launch One of the Biggest Strikes of the Decade: Can the strike at Verizon help kickstart the American labor movement? The Nation. Retrieved at https://www.thenation.com/article/40000-verizon-workers-launch-one-of-the-biggest-strikes-of-the-decade/

Prepare a 4- to 5-page (not including title and references page) paper in which you address the following questions:

1. What is the story behind the Verizon strike of 2016?
2. How does the Verizon strike reflect the current state of unions in the United States?
3. Do you agree that the Verizon Strike “signaled a Larger Economic Battle” or was it “No Morality Play”? Support your position.
4. What can an HR manager learn from the experience of the Verizon strike of 2016?

Use at least 5 Online Library sources plus any applicable background readings to support your discussion.