Running head: LABOR RELATIONS SPECIALIST

Labor Relations Specialist

Issues of the Industry
A Literature Review
By
Tyler D. Chapman

PS 4003: Capstone Project

Dr. Matt Stephen
November 22, 2016

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Introduction
Today, in many industries and professional fields job roles are becoming obsolete. As a
result of negative trends or issues these professions are being either deteriorated or transformed.
One such profession experiencing this issue is that of the Labor Relations Specialist. In the
context of unionized organizations, the Labor Relations Specialist represents the management or
organization while the union represents the employees, and more specifically the unionized
employees (Comella, 1980).
In the absence of union presence or representation, necessity for an organization to
employ Labor Relations Specialist is fading. Currently, and for the past five decades, union
presence has been on a declining trend. Primarily in the private sector, but also observable in the
public sector, this decline may result in the demise of Labor Relations as a field of interest for
professionals.
The primary objective of this literature review is to inform the audience of the role a
Labor Relations Specialist serves, assess the declining trend of union presence in the United
States, and discuss the implications this trend may have on the future of Labor Relations. The
literature contains history and peer-reviewed data on the subject matter of Labor Relations
Specialist, unionization decline, and implications of union decline on Labor Relations
professions.
Literature Review
The target goal of this review will be to provide the audience with an objective view of
Labor Relations history, decline of union presence in both the private and public sectors, and
what impact this may have on the future of Labor Relations. The data was compiled from peer

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reviewed journals located in the Arkansas Tech University Online Library. The search criteria
utilized to discover the following sources were role of labor relations specialist, workers
union decline, and declining unions on labor relations.
Labor Relations
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, a Labor Relations Specialist is defined as
one who interprets and administers labor contracts between unions and organizations. These
contracts outline issues such as wages, benefits, pensions, and management practices and
policies. Serving this role also provides challenges in daily guidance for management personnel
and mediating grievance hearings for union workers. Larger companies rely heavily on Labor
Relations Specialists to be familiar with current labor laws and protect the best interests of both
the organization and the employees. In smaller organizations, with or without a union presence,
these duties are typically carried out by the Human Resources Department.
Unionization Decline
The primary issue to discuss in the field of Labor Relations is the apparent decline in
union presence in the United States in recent decades. Between the years of 1973 and 2009
unionization in the U.S. has declined by 50%. Despite the fact that unions have the lowest
approval ratings in the history of their existence they are still supported by the majority of United
States citizens (Rosenfeld, 2014). Studies have shown there exists a weak correlation between
union popularity and unionization. That is to say, where union is supported is not necessarily
where unions thrive. The private sector in this country is now also nearly union-free, to a degree
not seen in a century (Rosenfeld, 2014, pg.30)

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What is the reason for this decline? Why is the popular union ideology of protecting
workers failing in this country? Some would argue this decline is political in origin; that strong
conservative views oppose unionization because of its effect on the free market is one theory.
However, in a text by Richard Kearney, he writes about five major contributing factors to union
decline. These five factors are structural elements, government substitution, unfavorable legal
and policy environment, management opposition, and strategic factors. Structural elements
contributing to the decline of union presence can be defined as simply a shift in the
demographics of todays workforce. As blue collar jobs are removed and white collar professions
become more mainstream ways of providing for families, unions are seeing less favorable
industries to support. Government substitutions for unions can be defined as legislation that
protects the workers to the same degree of union representation. Essentially, labor laws are
improving to protect workers without the necessity of unions. Unfavorable legal and policy
environment is referring to the theory of politics getting involved in union decline. Legislation
has not been kind to union representatives. Right to work laws and the ability to hire striker
replacements have made it easier for companies to cope with disgruntled union workers. As
business leaders have more leverage in the congressional battleground, union opposition to these
laws has fallen on deaf ears. Therefore, this provides an unfavorable environment for unions
striking as a result of negotiation disagreements. Management opposition was the fourth factor
discussed for causing decline in union presence. In many organizations, this is going to be the
status quo. Management will place an emphasis on company while the union will place its
emphasis on workers benefits. When the union enters bargaining it is in the managements best
interests to oppose and negotiate to save the company money. This creates a rift between
management and union and therefore has an effect on union presence. The final factor discussed

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by Kearney is strategic factors. It is not always about the decisions union representatives make, it
is sometimes about the decisions they fail to make. Union members are often at the mercy of
union leadership and representatives to make decisions on their behalf. In cases where union
members feel their requests are dismissed or ignored, they can lose trust in union representation.
This can motivate a union workforce to vote to remove the union from their company and
ultimately contribute to the decline of union presence (Kearney, 1984).
Implications
How does a decline in unionization impact the field of Labor Relations? According to the
Bureau of Labor Statistics there is an expected 8% decline between 2014 and 2024 in Labor
Relations Specialist jobs. This is, in large part, related to the decline of unions outside the public
sector. However, the field of Labor Relations is not necessarily deteriorating. There is beginning
to be a shift or transformation in the duties performed by Labor Relations Specialists. Rather
than being sought by large companies with a union work force they are shifting towards
employment agencies, professional employer organizations, state and federal governments,
hospitals, and insurance agencies. Whereas the traditional role of Labor Relations focuses on
contract negotiation and compliance, the new role taking form is focused on employee placement
and satisfaction.
The implications of this shift could have future alterations in personality and educational
requirements for becoming a Labor Relations Specialist. Labor Relations, Industrial Relations,
and Business Law have been the traditional educational path for those seeking this career. The
new identity of Labor Relations resembles that of Human Resources. There is less emphasis on

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the technical aspect of employee relations and more emphasis on the human aspect of employee
relations.
Conclusion
To conclude, further research and time will reveal the true impact of union decline on the
field of Labor Relations. Studies have indicated a definite decline in unionization in the private
sector despite the fact that unions are still supported by the majority of United States citizens.
Along with this decline is an apparent decline in Labor Relations Specialist jobs. However it is
unclear at this time that the two are directly related. As new responsibilities are being associated
with Labor Relations Specialists they are currently redefining the industry.

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References
Comella, B. (1980). Labor Relations and the Federal Personnel Specialist. Public Personnel
Management, 9(2), 99.
Kearney, R.C. (1984). Labor Relations in the Public Sector. New York: M. Dekker
Labor Relations Specialists. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (n.d.). Retreived November 22, 2016,
from http://www.bls.gov/ooh/business-and-financial/labor-relations-specialists.htm
Rosenfeld, J. (2014). What Unions No Longer Do. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard
University Press.