Labor Relations and Collective Bargaining, helps you to understand how to deal effectively with unions and grievances. Included in the reading is a brief discussion of the history of the American labor movement, as well as basic labor law, including unfair labor practices. Labor negotiations are explained, including the union actions that can be expected to occur during the union campaign and election. Expectations about what will likely occur during the actual bargaining sessions, and how to handle grievances, are also addressed (Dessler, 2013, p. 495).

Chapter 16 - Employee Safety and Health, provides the basic knowledge needed to deal with workplace safety and health issues. Every manager needs a working knowledge of the Occupational Safety and Health Act. The more significant aspects of the act are discussed, and include: the purpose, standards, inspection procedures, as well as employees' and employers' rights and responsibilities. Also identified are three causes of accidents: chance occurrences, unsafe conditions, and unsafe acts - and several techniques for preventing accidents. The importance of addressing employee health problems, such as substance abuse and workplace violence is also discussed (Dessler, 2013, p. 531).

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Instructions

Select one topic of interest from either Chapter 15 or Chapter 16. Locate a current article from a peer-reviewed or popular journal (e.g., Time, Business Week), or credible newspaper (i.e., Wall Street Journal) that helps to broaden your understanding of the topic from a current perspective.
Read the article; then complete a paper 600-900 words in length on the topic of interest based on the article. However, be sure to also include learning from the course textbook as well as personal experience with the topic, as applicable. One good example for a current topic could be how a union works in the current workplace. The paper should include your opinion on the accuracy of the article as well as any insight or added information you feel would be beneficial. Include a full paragraph for each of the following:
Introduction statement
Explanation of topic discussed
Brief summary of the article
Why the topic (and/or article) is relevant to human resource management
Your opinion/analysis on the topic
Conclusion or questions for the future