1.

Explain your understanding of Dunlops Industrial Relations Systems Model including

the basic contexts of the labour management relationship. Use examples to explain your
understanding.
In Dunlops industrial relations systems model industrial relations actors take elements from the
external environment and convert these inputs into outputs through a series of conversion
mechanisms. These outputs then flow back into the environment through the feedback loop.
1 - External Inputs include:
Legal rules and regulations that govern the study of industrial relations include
common law: applies to nonunion employment relationships, statue law: laws concerning
minimum employment standards, employment discrimination, pay/overtime wages in the
union and nonunion employment relationship and collective bargaining law: legislation
pertaining to unionized employment relationship
Economic product service market, labour market, money market and technology
Ecological physical environment, climate and natural resources
Political legislative and executive action
Sociocultural the values and beliefs of the society in which the actors operate can also
influence the actors.
2 - There are 4 actors in the industrial relations systems model:
Labour (Employees and Associations) represents the non-management workers in the
employment relationship and any relevant associations, In most cases these associations
consist of labour unions (i.e., NAPE and CUPE).
Employers and Associations business owners and management staff. Their role is to
manage the workers and workplace. An association that represents groups od employers
is the NL employers council (NLEC).
Government and Associated Agencies the role of this actor is to develop, implement
and administer legislation and policies pertinent to the employment relationship. Ex: The
International Labour Organization (ILO), which is responsible for drawing up and
overseeing international labour standards.
End Users the end user of the services/products generated from the employment
relationship (customers), a citizen or a company using products. The role of the end user
is to generate feedback and ensure the products/services they are getting are up to their
standards.
3 - Next the actors have internal inputs such as their own values, goals, strategies and power that
will influence them. Each actor of the system will have values that guide their actions.
4 - Conversion mechanisms are the processes that the actors use to convert internal and external
inputs into outputs of the industrial relations system. These mechanisms include: collective
bargaining, grievances, day-to-day relations, arbitrations, mediation, conciliation and
strikes/lockouts.
5 - Lastly the outputs are the results or outcomes of the conversion mechanisms. Often, these
outputs may be captured in a collective agreement between management and labour which
outlines key agreements and procedures reflecting the employment relationship such as employer
outcomes, labour outcomes, worker perceptions and conflict/conflict resolution.

2. Seniority is a key issue for unions; thus seniority is a key factor in many articles of a
collective agreement. At the same time unions are trying to increase their youth
membership. How do you suggest unions balance these competing needs in their collective
agreement language?

Seniority is undoubtedly one of the most important issues for unions and therefore many
aspects of collective agreements involve seniority. It is important for the collective
agreement to acknowledge seniority amongst employees but to do so in a way that does
not completely discourage new employees (youth membership) from seeking
employment with the particular company or maintaining employment with the company.
Seniority should be acknowledged in the collective agreement in ways that satisfies
employees with substantial seniority but does not discourage youth membership.
For example, a positive way to highlight seniority would be through the articles of
vacation hours, wages, bonuses, etc. Having the employees with more seniority gain extra
benefits will please these employees but also show the possibility of potential for these
benefits to junior employees. Therefore junior employees will be more inclined to stay
with the company in hopes of enjoying these extra benefits as their term of employment
becomes longer.
A particular issue in collective agreements that may discourage youth membership would
be articles concerning bumping and layoffs. Bumping is an issue that would be an
unattractive section of a collective agreement to junior employees because essentially
senior employees can pass-off their layoff to the junior employees.
In an effort to acknowledge seniority but retain youth membership, I would suggest that
terminology referring to bumping not be used in the collective agreement. Instead I
would suggest that employees still in their probationary period will be let go first in the
event of a layoff. Afterwards, layoffs will be considered in terms of seniority but
employees who exhibit superior work performance will be considered before being laid
off.
It is also important to ensure that an emphasis on compensation in the event of a layoff is
highlighted in the collective agreement.

3. Name four ways that union democracy makes a positive contribution to unions
wellbeing.
(1) Unions exist not just to better workers economic conditions but to give them a voice.
Democracy gives them that voice. It is not enough to assume that union officers know what
members want, for the officers are often wrong. In any case, democracy to me means
government by the people, not just for them.
(2) Over the long run, democracy makes unions more effective. It weeds out the corrupt and
incompetent. It gives the officers an incentive to perform better.
(3) Decisions made by the members are more likely to be implemented by the members.
Democracy helps mobilize member support.

(4) Having a choice is of great symbolic value and considerably increases the members
identification with their union
4. Do you feel that the movement toward high performance work practices, participative
management, nonunion representation and nonstandard work practices will result in
increased or decreased unionization? Why?

I believe that the movement towards high performance work practices, participative
management, nonunion representation and nonstandard work practices will result in
decreased unionization. I believe this because all of these movements by management are
effective ways to make employees more satisfied in the workplace without having to
impose a union.
For example participative management allows employees to make larger decisions
concerning their work and feel like they have the autonomy to carry out work related
decisions and this increases their sense of job satisfaction.
High performance work practices focusing on improving employees levels of skills and
abilities as well as their overall motivations levels can greatly impact an employees work
experience. Motivational functions for example could include pay compensation and
pensions/benefits.
Also the movement towards nonunion representation allows employees to still negotiate
with their employers and feel that their opinions and concerns are being acknowledges
without actually having to form a union and pay union dues.

5. What are the key differences between individual and collective agreements? You may
use examples as appropriate.
Individual agreements are negotiated between an individual and their employer, and bind only
those parties, whereas collective agreements are negotiated between a registered union on behalf
of a group of employees and an employer. A collective agreement will only be binding on
employees who are members of the union and whose positions are covered by the coverage
clause of the collective agreement. In other words individual agreements are one of a kind
documents that only cover one employee and a collective agreement covers a group of
employees in a company. Both individual and collective agreements can include clauses such as
pay, job security, grievance, discipline and the duration of the agreement.
6. Take any unionized industry in Canada and analyze the pressures on the parties to
collective bargaining: management, union and employees.
Management bargaining team:
The potential of a strike or lockout puts substantial pressure on management because of
the potential loss of sales, revenue, profits, and market share. Also the possibility of
decreased stock prices and overall bad publicity.
Management also face pressures from central and corporate management. All different
faces of management may want different outcomes for the collective agreement and this
adds substantial pressure to the management bargaining team.

Management also face numerous financial pressures during collective bargaining. Due to
financial constraints, management may have limited resources to satisfy the unions
demands and therefore there is pressure on the management bargaining team to
effectively distribute these limited resources to avoid a strike situation.
To decrease some of this pressure, management often prepare for strikes in advance by
attempting to stockpile inventory or making a plan to use management and supervisors to
sustain production or hire temporary replacement workers in the event of a strike or
lockout.
Union bargaining team:
Since unions exist to benefit their members, dealing with member expectations can add
substantial pressures to the union bargaining team.
When there are changes in economic conditions (i.e. Inflation) unions have to deal with
changing membership expectations in bargaining.
The possibility of a strike also is a pressure that union bargaining teams face because a
strike can cause potentially damaging consequences for the union as an institution. This is
because a long strike with little or no gains may have a major impact on the strike fund,
future organizing, and even the continued existence of a union.
To decrease some of this pressure, it is important for members of the union bargaining
team to hold information meetings to explain certain issues concerning the collective
agreement, and work at lowering membership expectations so a strike can be avoided.
Employees:
Union members face pressures from other union members, the union bargaining team,
and even family during a collective agreement negotiation.
Employees also face financial pressures during a collective agreement negotiation. This is
because if there was to be a strike, the loss of income during a strike could substantially
affect an employees debt situation.
7. With more non-union firms providing dispute resolutions that are akin to those of the
labour movement, will unions become obsolete in the future? Explain the reasoning for
your answer.
Yes, I think unions will become obsolete in the future mostly because they have not adjusted to
the changed economic and political conditions. In the first seven decades of the 20th century,
unions fought hard for pensions, unemployment insurance, pay equity, and the rights of the most
vulnerable and they got them. Today, the economy is bogged down and the pressures for cut
backs and structural change are taking place and most unions havent adapted. With alternative
dispute resolutions such as arbitration, mediation, negotiation and conciliation, employees may
not feel the need to be a part of a union if they can achieve the same results by themselves and
have more freedom and say in their own employment agreement. Resisting change will only
result in change being forced upon them by the market, with potentially catastrophic effects on
their members. In order for unions to survive they must assess their strengths, weaknesses,
opportunities, and threats. Unions must embrace change and manage the long-term interests of
their members by working together with government, management, and labour so that they can
provide the leadership that their members deserve.

8. Lets assume you are the HRM manager of the Wal-Mart store in Weyburn that just
unionized. You need to brief the management team on the changes they will face as a result
of unionization. What three or four changes would you highlight?
Staffing:
Traditionally, management handles the hiring of new employees and the laying off of
employees. However in a unionized environment, the union itself may even decide which
employees are hired. The concept of recall where an employee can be released from
work and then hired again at a later time applies only to unionized work places. Through
collective bargaining, the union may also have certain demands concerning how many
employees are working and who gets laid off and when.
Recruitment:
Unionization may also reduce management's ability to be able to actively recruit new
employees. It is noted that unionized employers use fewer recruitment techniques
because unionized jobs are already more attractive to applicants and therefore additional
recruitment techniques are not necessary. Also in unionized work places, many jobs are
filled internally (seniority, etc.) before external recruitment is considered.
Training and Development:
It is known that unionized firms provide more training than non-unionized firms.
Unionized employees often receive more training (and more training days) than nonunionized employees. Studies show that unionized workplaces are actually twice as likely
to provide training and education and apprenticeships than nonunion firms.
Compensation:
Unions have two significant effects on compensation. The first is the monopoly effect:
the union's ability to raise wages above nonunion wages. The monopoly effect can result
in unionized workplaces reducing employment levels because employers choose to hire
fewer employees given the higher wage rate. The second is the collective voice impact.
The collective voice of a union often focuses on total compensation verses merely wage
rates. Total compensation includes base pay, performance (incentive) pay, and indirect
pay (benefits).
9. Define and describe Ury, Brett and Goldbergs three approaches to resolving disputes.
Use examples to show your understanding of this reading.
(1) Reconciling the interest of the parties
Interests are the needs, desires, concerns and fears the things one cares about or wants
The most common way to do this is through negotiation the act of back and forth
communication intended to reach agreement or mediation in which a third party assists
the disputants in reaching an agreement.
May need to vent emotions
(2) Determining who is right a way to resolve disputes by relying on some independent
standard with perceived legitimacy or fairness to determine who is right.
Some rights are formalized in law or contract
Some are socially accepted standards such as reciprocity, precedent, equality and
seniority

Rights are rarely clear so parties may turn to a third party to determine who is right.
Usually adjudication (courts/arbitration)

(3) Determining who is more powerful power is the ability to coerce someone to do something
he would not otherwise do.
Exercising power typically means imposing costs on other side or threatening to do so
such as a strike/lockout
The exercise of power takes 2 forms: aggression like sabotage or physical attack and
withholding the benefits derived from a relationship
The question of who is more powerful turns on who is less dependent on the other
Power is ultimately a matter of perception
10. Describe the effects of globalization on industrial relations in Canada from the
perspectives of HRM managers and union executives.
HRM Managers:
Globalization is the international movement to integrate world economies by removing
trade barriers to the trade of goods and services as well as by enhancing capital and
labour mobility.
Management in terms of corporations now face global competitive pressures to submit to
international norms and standards. Therefore, markets are dictating labour conditions.
Global competitive pressures are pushing national systems of industrial relations to
converge over time.
A trend of globalization is greater management power and less union power.
Union Executives:
Globalization has caused union decline in Canada and plant closure is now more than
ever a believable threat. Globalization has reduced union success due to competitive
pressures being faced by firms.
Union executives need to consider the possibility of creating global unions in response to
globalization.