Write a Post of 350–400-word reply to Discussion, include a biblical integration and at least 2 peer-reviewed source citations in current APA format in addition to the text.
Discussion
The discussion board for the week asks to evaluate and determine if in charge of a healthcare facility’s human resources, how would one act in the likelihood of a union formation? The first thing that should be considered is the organization’s current policy on union formation, as well as meeting with leaders within the organization to see if the policy would be amended provided the group seeking representation is able to fully communicate the reasoning for union formation. After these discussions with the leaders of the organization, this would dictate the appropriate action to take. As a leader in human resources it would be expected that one would be able to present on any pertinent information regarding union formation to the executive leaders.
The first matter to consider is the group that would like to unionize. Most often a group wants to unionize in order to bargain on wages and working conditions as they are viewed as unsatisfactory. It is the belief of this author that if an organization is treating their employees appropriately and operating justly, that there would be no desire to unionize. The Bible advises all, “for rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God’s servant for your good” (Romans 13:3-4, English Standard Version). Essentially, if an organization, for profit or not-for-profit is behaving ethically to their stakeholders, employees should not feel the need to seek extra labor protection, however, a good leader should not prevent or stifle the ability for employees to unionize, and should listen to the needs of the group at hand.
Next the leadership would need to know how unions are handled in similar organizations or environments. Currently as the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) stands, individuals working in healthcare or in a non-profit setting are allowed to unionize (Kearney, 2010). Typically, in the healthcare industry, professions are grouped together by similarities for union formation in order to address the specific needs of each group appropriately (Sanders & McCutcheon, 2010). It would not be appropriate for nurses and housekeeping staff to be represented together.
The next matter to consider is if the state is a right to work state or not (Lombardi & Pynes, 2011). It will be imperative that both sides understand what it means to be a right to work state and how that could affect the formation of a union. This author resides in Virginia which is a right to work state which means a union can be formed but neither the union nor the organization can require of penalize an employee for not being a part of the union. This may make it difficult for the group wishing to unionize to form as this limits the incentive for union membership.
As a matter of opinion, this author does not think that healthcare employees should be able to unionize. It would be the recommendation that the executive leadership listen to the wishes of the group that would like to unionize and address those needs. It could be handled as simply as re-writing policies, adjusting a benefit, or adapting a work flow process. The lines in healthcare become blurred with supervisory roles which would lead to complications into recognizing who is included in union membership and who is not. Most importantly healthcare workers should not be able to strike without notice to the organization as these professions require a duty to serve the community. A work environment cannot be duplicated every day in the healthcare field, as the patients change, and this is a service industry not a manufacturing industry.
References
Kearney, R. C. (2010). Public sector labor – management relations: Change or status quo? Review of Public Personnel Administration, 30(1), 89-111. doi:10.1177/0734371X09351827. Retrieved from http://journals.sagepub.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu/doi/abs/10.1177/0734371X09351827
Pynes, J. E., & Lombardi, D. N. (2011). Human resources management for health care organizations: A strategic approach. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. ISBN: 9780470873557.
Sanders, L. G., & McCutcheon, A. W. (2010). Unions in the healthcare industry. Labor Law Journal, 61(3), 142-151. Retrieved from https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy.liberty.edu/docview/848641461?pq-origsite=summon&accountid=12085
