Assignment

Unions Versus Human Resources

In preparation for this assignment, review the following resources:

• Managing Human Resources
• A New Mandate for Human Resources
• Does This Company Need a Union?
• Human Resources Management
• Voices of Union - Voices of Young Workers
• Workplace Health and Safety History, to the 1920s
• Workplace Health and Safety History 1930s to WWII
• Workplace Healthy and Safety History WWII to OSHA

According to Beer et al (1984), human resources management (HRM) has developed as a way to serve workers' interests, albeit internally within the workplace. This challenges the role of worker advocacy. Historically, workers' interests have been served by external representatives from labor unions, and have also been protected through government interventions such as laws and regulations. The purpose of this assignment is to understand the roles of unions and the role of HRM, and examine whether workers have adequate support and protections in the modern workplace. After reading the text chapters for Week One and Week Two and reviewing the resources provided:

• Explain how unions, human resources management personnel, and government interventions (such as laws and regulations) serve to address worker rights and worker safety.

• Evaluate whether unions and HRM have unique roles for different groups (i.e., the organization, management, and the workers) or if there are areas of overlap.

• Assess the following statement, "Workers in the modern workplaces of America are well protected and well supported." Explain whether you agree or disagree with this statement, based on what you now know about government interventions, unions, HRM, and worker advocacy. Be sure to support your agreement or disagreement with statements of reasoning from your analysis.