Employee and Labor Relations
MGTK 406.301
Fall, 2013
August 26 –October 18, 2013
Dr. Betty Birkenmeier
Office: 318C, Founder’s Hall
Office Phone: 254-519-5425
Cell Phone: 337-789-1915 (10:00 a.m.-9:00 p.m.)
E-mail address: b.birkenmeier@ct.tamus.edu
Office Hours: Monday and Wednesday – 5 to 6 p.m.
Tuesday - 12 to 4 p.m.
Online: Tuesday – 12 to 4 p.m.
COURSE OVERVIEW:
This is an undergraduate level course that explores the past, present, and future of the labor
movement in America and the concepts, principles, and practices in the field of labor relations
in both the private and public sectors. It is designed to give the student a strong knowledge
base of both legal principles and practical labor relations. Students will also develop skills with
respect to labor relations strategies, analyzing typical labor relations issues and scenarios. A
labor contract negotiation simulation rounds out the learning experience.
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
Catalog Description: Course examines collective bargaining, labor market fundamentals,
unionism, and related issues of labor economics. Labor concepts, processes, ethics and costs
are explored for their application and implications in the business world. Emphasis is placed on
current laws, practices, and trends related to the various aspects of labor relations and
collective bargaining.
Expanded Course Description: The objective of this course is for each student to be able to
know, comprehend, apply, analyze, synthesize and evaluate strategies and methods used by
organizations in developing, maintaining and managing employee and labor relations.
The course explores the development of the labor movement in America and its impact on
organizations and management of those organizations. Students will gain an understanding of
current and proposed labor relations law and its implications for managers.
1
The course develops an understanding of the labor negotiation process and practices for
resolving labor-management disputes. Skills will be developed through scenario analysis and a
contract negotiation simulation.
COURSE PREREQUISITES & ENTRANCE COMPETENCIES:
Students are expected to have strong writing skills, creative and analytical thinking skills,
effective reading skills, advanced learning skills, and a general understanding of problems faced
by business managers. Students should have completed MGMT 301 and MGMT 302 or obtain
the approval of the instructor before enrolling.
INTENDED STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES & C0MPETENCIES:
Overall Course Objective: The overall objective of this course is for each student to learn how
to assess, develop, and carry out an effective labor relations strategy for their organization.
This includes both the private and public sectors; and, also whether or not there is collective
bargaining.
At the conclusion of this course the student will be able to:
 Discuss the history and current operational topics related to labor contract negotiation
and collective bargaining, including legal, social, and organizational considerations.
 Apply professional concepts, skills, and processes through case and scenario analysis.
 Apply professional concepts, skills, and processes through participation in a labor
contract negotiation exercise.
 Discuss and apply the specific chapter learning objectives that are presented at the
beginning of each chapter in the text.
INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS & SUPPORT RESOURCES:
Text: Labor Relations: Striking a Balance, 3rd edition. Author: John W. Budd. Publisher:
McGraw-Hill/Irwin Publishers (2010). ISBN: 978-0-07-353033-8.
The textbook may be purchased at:
1. Texas A&M – Central Texas Bookstore
2. Online at:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com
http://www.amazon.com
2
http://www.half.com
These are web sites that my students have been using for many years.
Note: A student at this institution is not under any obligation to purchase a textbook
from a university-affiliated bookstore.
To access online research materials use the TAMU-CT library at:
http://www.tarleton.edu/centraltexas/departments/library/
Information with respect to citing references in APA format is available at:
http://www.tarleton.edu/%7Elibrary/document_lh.html
http://www.bedfordstmartins.com/online/cite6html
E-MAIL: E-mail will be checked by noon Monday through Friday excluding holidays. Use
Blackboard for e-mailing the instructor.
EXAMS: There will be two exams administered during the semester. With the exception of an
emergency and other approved situations, make-up exams will not be permitted. Failure to
take a scheduled exam or to schedule a make-up exam will result in a zero grade for that exam.
ACADEMIC HONESTY:
Texas A&M University – Central Texas expects all students to maintain high standards of
personal and scholarly conduct. Any form of academic dishonesty (cheating, plagiarism or
collusion to commit dishonest acts undermine (1) the mission of the College of Business and the
mission of Texas A&MS University, and (2) are detrimental to the intellectual, career, and
personal growth of students. Therefore, each student is expected to complete all exams and
assignments on their own without cheating, plagiarizing, collusion, or gaining an unfair
advantage over another student.
For MGTK 406.301 – Employee and Labor Relations:
Cheating is defined as the attempted or unauthorized use of textbooks, notes, study aids,
devices or communication with one or more other students on assignments, quizzes, or exams.
The following are examples of cheating but it is not a comprehensive list.
Seeking Unfair Advantage to Oneself
a. Examinations
 Copying from another student’s test paper
3





Using signals to obtain answers from another student
Stealing or arranging the theft of an exam
Knowingly reviewing unauthorized copy of exam
Using textbooks or other materials during exam when prohibited
Storing, receiving, and/or accessing course materials in a cell phone, flash drive,
computer or other electronic device during the time period of an exam without the
authorization of the instructor
b. Papers
 Copying the work of other students in whole or in part and submitting it as your own
 Accessing another student’s computer or flash drive and acquiring their intellectual
property
 Purchasing a research/term paper from a commercial service and submitting it as
your own work
 Having a ghost writer write a paper for you
 Claiming an assigned share of a team paper where insufficient or no contribution
was made
Giving Unfair Advantage to Others
a. Examinations
 Allowing another student to copy answers from your exam
 Using signals to give exam answers to another student
 Taking an exam for someone else
 Sharing test questions with a student in another section of the course
 Providing assistance to a student taking an exam outside of the classroom
b. Papers
 Permitting another student to copy your work
 Writing a paper for another student
 Providing substantial research assistance to another student who is writing a paper
Plagiarism is the submission of work entirely or in part as one’s own work when that work is
the intellectual property of another. The following are examples of cheating but it is not a
comprehensive list.
 Not giving credit using the APA reference format for ideas, concepts, phrases,
statements, or conclusions of another
 Failing to use quotation marks for the direct citation of another author’s work (includes
partial sentences, sentences, and paragraphs)
 Making minimal changes to the work of another and representing it to be your work
 Synthesizing the work of several authors whether from hard copy or downloading from
the internet and submitting it as your own work
4

Including references in the References portion of the paper not used by the student
Students guilty of academic dishonesty are subject to disciplinary action. The faculty member is
responsible for initiating action for each case with respect to academic dishonesty. More
information can be found at: www.ct.tamus.edu/StudentConduct.
It is the responsibility of each student to protect the value of their Texas A&M University
degree. Students who are dishonest in obtaining their degrees may not succeed on the job.
You can help protect the integrity of Texas A&M and the degrees offered by reporting acts of
academic dishonesty. You should report any act of academic dishonesty to the instructor
and/or the Office of Student Affairs.
DROP POLICY:
If you discover that you need to drop this course, you must go to the Records Office and ask for
the necessary paperwork. Professors cannot drop students, this is always the responsibility of
the student. The Records Office will give a deadline for when the form must be returned,
completed and signed. Once you return the signed form to the Records Office and wait 24
hours, you must go to DuckTrax and confirm that you are no longer enrolled. If you are still
enrolled, you should FOLLOW-UP with the Records Office immediately. You are to attend class
until the procedure is complete to avoid penalty for absences. Should you miss the deadline or
fail to follow the procedure, you will receive an F in the course.
LIBRARY RESOURCES:
Information literacy focuses on research skills which prepare individuals to live and work in an
information-centered society. Librarians will work with students in the development of critical
reasoning, ethical use of information, and the appropriate use of secondary research
techniques. Help may include, yet is not limited to: exploration of information resources such
as library collections and services, identification of subject databases and scholarly journals, and
execution of effective search strategies. Library resources are outlined and accessed at:
http:///www.tarleton.edu/centraltexas/departments/library.
STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES:
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal antidiscrimination statute that provides
comprehensive civil rights protection for persons with disabilities. Among other things, this
legislation requires that all students with disabilities be guaranteed a learning environment that
5
provides for reasonable accommodation of their disabilities. If you believe you have a disability
requiring an accommodation, please contact the Disabilities Support Services office. The
number is 519-5796.
STUDENT RESPONSIBILITY FOR LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES:
Each student is responsible for their own learning outcomes. Your instructor will assist in any
way possible to help you achieve success in the course. It is ultimately your responsibility to
learn.
COURSE CONTRIBUTIONS:
Students are expected to participate in all course activities.
SPECIFIC GUIDELINES FOR WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS:
1. Quality work. All work submitted for grading shall be of college level quality.
2. Identifying submissions. Submissions must clearly identify the student and the title of
the assignment.
3. Submission style requirements: Submissions will be in accordance with the Publication
Manual for the American Psychological Association, 5th edition which will be used for
grading all assignments.
4. Non-compliance: submissions that fail to comply with the above will receive no more
than half credit.
5. Late submissions: Assignments that are submitted late will receive reduced credit.
WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS:
Written assignments are due by 11:59 p.m. Sunday night each week. The assignments are to be
submitted on Blackboard to the instructor. See course schedule for weekly assignments.
COLLECTIVE BARGAINING SIMULATION:
For the simulation students will be divided into groups of union and management teams. The
goal is to negotiate the terms of a new collective bargaining agreement. The parties are The
Zinnia (a hotel) and Service Workers Local H-56. There is an introduction to the simulation in
the text (Appendix D). The detailed information you will need for the simulation can be
accessed at: www.thezinnia.com. The simulation has three parts: (1) a negotiation plan; (2)
6
the negotiations; and (3) a group paper. Team membership will be announced on September
11, 2013.
The negotiation plan should include economic and noneconomic items that the team wants to
negotiate. The union teams will also select an issue that includes the point at which the union
will call a strike. The management team will select an issue that includes the point at which it
will cease the negotiations. The union teams will also decide the minimum it will accept for
each issue and each management team will decide the maximum it will agree to accept for each
issue. Each team should prepare a cost estimate for each economic issue in their plan. An
Excel spreadsheet is available at the web site to help prepare this information. The negotiation
plan is due by 11:59 p.m. on Blackboard on Sunday, October 6, 2013.
Negotiations: The negotiations are tentatively scheduled for October 9, 2013. I will select
which team will be first, second, and third for the negotiations.
Group Paper: Each labor and management team will prepare a written paper no longer than 15
pages of text (double spaced). You must use Times New Roman font size 12 with 1” margins on
each page. A title page must be used. The Reference page is to include all references cited in
your preparations for negotiating a new contract. These references are also to be cited in the
text. The APA style is to be used in the preparation of your paper. Content of paper: detailed
discussion of what happened with each issue during negotiations, and new contract language
for each issue (write this up as if the language were going to be inserted directly into the
contract). The paper is due by 11:59 p.m. on Blackboard on Sunday, November 25, 2013.
PEER EVALUATION:
The purpose of the peer evaluation is to ensure that each member of each team is making
worthwhile contributions to their team. Each member of your team is be carefully evaluated
on the form that is provided under “Assignments” on Blackboard. Your evaluation of each team
member is a confidential evaluation. You are not to share how you evaluated anyone on your
team with any other student. Any student who does not make a significant contribution to the
negotiation simulation activities may face a loss of points up to receiving zero points for the
simulation. The evaluation is due October 16, 2013 by 11:59 p.m..
NOTE: If you experience any problems with a member of your team the problem should be
reported to the instructor at the earliest possible time. You are to include documentation on
your efforts to remedy the problem with the team member in question. Example of problem:
no or insufficient participation by a team member.
7
TUTORING SERVICES:
TAMUCT offers its students tutoring, both on-campus and online. Subjects tutored include:
Accounting, Finance, Statistics, Mathematics, and Writing (MLA and APA). For hours, or if
you’re interested in becoming a tutor, contact Academic Support Programs at 254-519-5496 or
by e-mailing gnichols@ct.tamus.edu. You may also go to www.tamuct.org/studentaffairs and
click on “Academic Support” to gain access and see a listing of the tutoring hours.
TECHNOLOGICAL SUPPORT: For technological or computer issues, students should contact the
TAMUCT Blackboard support services (available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week):
Support Portal: http://www.ct.tamus.edu/bbsupport
On-line chat (through the support portal): http://www.ct.gtamus.edu/bbsupport)
Toll free Phone: 855-661-7965
BLACKBOARD LEARN ON-LINE: This Blackboard system was introduced to TAMUCT during the
Spring 2012 semester. If you have not completed an on-line or web-supported course recently,
please note that the old Tarleton Blackboard site is now inactive for TAMUCT students. Be sure
to use the current site which is located at: http://www.tamuct.blackboard.com.
HOLIDAY:
Labor Day – September 2, 2013
NOTE: Directions for assignments are given in Appendix A.
TENTATIVE COURSE SCHEDULE:
August 26, 2013
 Introduction – Syllabus
 Chapter 1: Contemporary Labor Relations
 Assignment #1 due by 11:59 p.m. August 28, 2013
August 28, 2013
 Chapter 2: Labor Unions – Good or Bad
 Assignment #2 due by 11:59 p.m. September 1, 2013
September 2, 2013
 Labor Day, no class
8
September 4, 2013
 Chapter 3: Historical Development
 Assignment #3 due by 11:59 p.m. September 8, 2013
September 9, 2013
 Chapter 4: Labor Law
 Assignment #4 due by 11:59 p.m. September 11, 2013
September 11, 2013
 Chapter 5: Labor & Management: Strategies, Structures & Constraints
 Assignment #5 due by 11:59 p.m. September 15, 2013
 Team assignments will be announced on September 11, 2013
September 16, 2013
 Chapter 6: Union Organizing
 Assignment #6 due by 11:59 p.m. October 13, 2013
September 18, 2013
 Chapter 7: Bargaining
 Assignment #7 due by 11:59 p.m. September 22, 2013
September 23, 2013
 Chapter 8: Impasses, Strikes & Dispute Resolution
 Assignment #8 due by 11:59 p.m. September 29, 2013
 Exam 1: Chapters 1 – 7; Available on Blackboard September 26, 2013 starting at 12:01
a.m. and ending on September 30, 2013 at 11:59 p.m.
September 25, 2013
 Hostess Case
 In class activity – bring three articles relating to union/management problems and
closure of Hostess Corporation in 2012
 Exam 1: Chapters 1 – 7; available on Blackboard September 26, 2013 starting at 12:01
a.m. and ending on September 30, 2013 at 11:59 p.m.
September 30, 2013
 Chapter 9: Contract Clauses & Administration
9


Assignment #9 due by 11:59 p.m. October 2, 2013
Negotiation Plan due: October 6, 2013 by 11:59 p.m.
October 2, 2013
 Chapter 10: Flexibility, Empowerment & Partnership
 Assignment #10 due by 11:59 p.m. October 6, 2013
October 7, 2013
 Chapter 11: Globalization
 Assignment #11 due by 11:59 p.m. October 9, 2013
October 9, 2013
 Chapter 12: Comparative Labor Relations
 October 9, 2013: Labor Negotiations
October 14, 2013
 Detroit case
 Assignment #12: Will discuss in class
 Labor Negotiation Paper due: October 14, 2013 by 11:59 p.m.
October 16, 2013
 Chapter 13: What should labor relations do?
 Peer evaluation due by 11:59 p.m. October 16, 2013.
 Exam 2: Chapters 8 – 13; available on Blackboard October 17 at 12:01 a.m. to October
20 at 11:59 p.m.
GRADE COMPUTATION:
Assignments (12) (20 pts. ea.)
Exams (2) (100 points ea.)
Negotiation Plan
Labor Negotiations
Labor Negotiation Paper
Peer evaluation
Total
Points
240
200
20
100
50
20
630
10
GRADING SCALE:
90 – 100
80 – 89.9
70 – 79.9
60 – 69.9
0 – 59.9
A
B
C
D
F
APPENDIX A
Format: Each assignment is to be 1-½ - 2 pages in length. Times New Roman Font size 12 is to
be used for the assignments. When the directions for an assignment ask you to select an article
it must come from a source such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal,
BusinessWeek, etc. that publishes print editions. Do not use sources that only publish on the
Internet. Be sure to correctly cite the article in the text and under the heading “Reference” at
the end of your paper using the APA format. Note: A one word response is not sufficient for
responding to any part of these assignments.
Assignment #1: Select a recent labor issue that has occurred in the last two years. Discuss the
pros and cons of this issue. What is interesting to you about this issue? If the issue has been
resolved what happened? If the issue is unresolved, how do you think it should be resolved?
Assignment #2: Select one of the following industries: railway, textile, maritime, or building
and construction. Briefly describe work conditions prior to any union presence. Next, briefly
describe what the union/unions did to change work conditions. Is there a strong union
presence in your selected industry today? Why do you think there is (or isn’t) a strong union
presence. Clearly document your sources in the text and include all sources under
“References”.
Assignment #3: In the early days of labor relations in the United States acts of violence were
committed by workers, unions, companies and their agents, government and soldiers employed
by the government. Do you think any of these groups were justified in using acts of violence?
Discuss all of the above groups and use at least one example to support your position for each
group. Clearly document your sources in the text and include all sources under “References”.
11
Assignment #4: For this assignment you will use the National Labor Relations Bureau web site:
http://www.nlrb.gov. What is the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA)? What is the purpose
of the NLRB? Under the NLRA employees have certain rights. Briefly describe what union and
nonunion activity is covered under the NLRA. Who (employees) is covered under the NLRA?
Briefly discuss what rights and obligations employers and unions have under the NLRA.
Assignment #5: Use Reflection Question #2 from Chapter 5 (page 179) for this assignment. Be
sure to provide answers for all three parts.
Assignment #6: Use “HR Strategy Responding to a Union Organizing Drive in Chapter 6 (pgs.
225-226) for this assignment. Follow the directions provided for all four scenarios.
Assignment #7: Select a recent article (2010 or later) on collective bargaining that focuses on
one industry. What is the position of each of the parties involved in the bargaining? If the
collective bargaining has been concluded what was the outcome? If the bargaining is still taking
place what do you think the outcome will be? Why did you select this article? Was the article
informative? Did it change your opinion on union/management bargaining?
Assignment #8: Use Reflection Question #1 from Chapter 8 (page 295) for this assignment. Be
sure to respond to all of the questions.
Assignment #9: Find two examples of actual union/management contracts on the Internet.
Who are the parties in each of the contracts? Read over each contract and then discuss items
that you found particularly interesting in each contract. What is your opinion about the length
of each contract – too short, just right, too long? Be sure to clearly identify each contract in
your discussion. For “References” give the website for each contract using the APA format.
Assignment #10: For this assignment you will use the AFL-CIO web site: www.aflcio.org. What
do you notice about how the site is arranged, the graphics that are used and the topics that are
included? What else catches your attention about this web site? Briefly discuss one aspect
that you finding interesting, incredible, unique, etc. about this site.
Assignment #11: Find an article about unionization in a country other than the United States
(2010 or later). What challenges are present with respect to the unionization of workers in this
country? Briefly discuss anything you find interesting regarding each of the following: unions,
employees, companies, and government.
12
Assignment #12: For this assignment you will be taking an in depth look at the current pension
and budget crisis in Detroit. Find and read at least three articles on the current pension and
budget crisis in the city. This issue has been in the news since about the middle of July, 2013.
Points earned will be based on the quality of the discussion by each of the students in the
course.
13