Labor Relations : Striking a Balance

by Budd, John W.

• ISBN13: 9780072842210
• ISBN10: 0072842210
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2004-02-17
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill/Irwin

Summary

Labor Relations: Striking a Balance, 1st Edition, by John Budd presents labor relations as a system for striking a balance between the employment relationship goals of efficiency, equity, and voice, and between the rights of labor and management. Budd's Labor Relations broadens the narrow process focus of existing labor relations texts by placing the discussion of contemporary U.S. processes into the context of underlying themes - what are the goals of labor relations, are those goals being fulfilled, and are reforms needed. This textbook replaces the tired paradigm of "labor relations equals detailed work rules" with the dynamic paradigm of "labor relations equals balancing workplace goals and rights." Labor law, union organizing, bargaining, dispute resolution, and contract administration are central topics, but these processes are not presented as self-evidently good. These topics are placed in the broader context of the goals of the employment relationship, conflicting rights, and the environment of the 21st Century. This broader context serves to make labor relations more engaging and relevant to students. It also allows instructors to raise important "big picture" ideas while covering the applied business functions and strategies of the existing processes.

Author Biography

John W. Budd is a professor in the Industrial Relations Center at the University of Minnesota's Carlson School of Management where he holds an Industrial Relations Landgrant Term Professorship.

Table of Contents

Part I: Foundations

Chapter 1: Contemporary Labor Relations: Objectives, Practices, and Challenges

Chapter 2: Labor Unions: Good or Bad?

Chapter 3: Labor Relations Outcomes: Individuals and the Environment

Part II: The U.S. New Deal Industrial Relations System

Chapter 4: Historical Development

Chapter 5: Labor Law

Chapter 6: Labor and Management: Strategies, Structures, and Rights

Chapter 7: Union Organizing

Chapter 8: Bargaining

Chapter 9: Impasse, Strikes, and Dispute Resolution

Chapter 10: Contract Clauses and Their Administration

Part III: Issues for the 21st Century

Chapter 11: Flexibility and Employee Involvement

Chapter 12: Globalization

Part IV: Reflection

Chapter 13: Comparative Labor Relations

Chapter 14: What Should Labor Relations Do?

Appendix: Selected Laws and Declarations