CASE STUDY



Case Study: The Battered Binder

Case Study: The Battered Binder

Introduction

You have probably seen the bumper sticker: "Unions: the people who brought you the weekend." It is true. Unions also played key roles in winning higher wages, safety protections, health insurance, pensions, overtime pay, the minimum wage, Social security and a host of other important things that we often take for granted. All of these victories were the result of long, hard-fought political and workplace struggles in which organized and savvy workers-labor union members-played a pivotal role (Adizes, 1990). Today, 16 million workers are members of unions, just 12% of the workforce. The numbers have been declining since the 1970s, but this is not because workers do not want unions. Polls show 50 to 60 million would like to have a union if they could. But in too many cases, workers seeking to organize are blocked by employers using a combination of illegitimate tactics and legitimate ones (some of which are prohibited in countries with stronger protections for workers).

Discussion

What has happened in the case?

The case illustrates the different techniques that the management of Battered Binder used to make employees not to join the union. First of all Mr.Trulee literally coerced employees not to join union otherwise he remind them of serious consequences. He tries to make the employees realize that, joining the union is not in their benefit, and if they do join the union then they might be kicked off from the job. In case, the situation where Mr.Trulee coerced Ms Dhont clearly explains the management fear from union. He asked Ms Dhont to sign the card which says that she is not in favor of union otherwise be prepared to face the music.

The case makes us realize that the management clearly ignores all the laws and regulations, regarding the employment right to indulge in political activities including the right to become a part or support any union or other groups. In case, it is also mentioned that the aggressive stance of management was unfruitful in making the employees not to join any union.

Address the issues

This case has twofold implications for labor/employment laws: To offer a coherent explanation of unions' role in employment and wage dynamics, and to measure the impact of unions on these variables using time-series data. I find that unions do not appear to affect an industry's employment dynamics; for a given demand shock, unionized firms do not have a differential impact on employment. Instead, they react to changes in demand with larger changes in average weekly hours and total wages than non-unionized firms. I argue that such behavior is rooted in the large fraction of compensation that union workers receive in the form of fringe benefits (Millward, 1988).

The Issue given in the case is a very common yet very straightforward issue. The issue is about the Battered Binder Bookstore management and their fear that their employees soon will join the union. The main theme of this case revolves around this ...