HRM 340 Employee and Labor Relations Fall 2015

Transcription

1 HRM 340 Employee and Labor Relations Fall 2015 Instructor: Ron Gambassi Phone: (208) (for urgent matters call me) Classroom: Micron Business & Economics Bldg., Rm Office Hours: By appointment Required Materials: Text: Custom Paperback Book (selected chapters) - Budd, John W. (2013) Labor Relations: Striking A Balance, 4th ed., McGraw-Hill/Irwin, New York. ISBN#: Course website: In Blackboard (Bb) - Students will learn or practice the following COBE Core Curriculum concepts, methods, and skills: 1. Understand and apply analytical and disciplinary concepts and methods related to business and economics. 1.2 Business policy and strategy. 1.7 Legal environment of business. 1.8 Management. 2. General management knowledge and/or ability. 2.1 Communicate effectively: write messages and documents that are clear, concise, and compelling. 3. Solve problems, including unstructured problems, related to business and economics. 4. Use effective teamwork and collaboration skills. Course Learning Objectives: This course will increase your understanding of how the employer-employee relationship has evolved in the US workplace, with a primary emphasis on the relationship between labor unions and management. Students successfully completing this course will be able to: define key labor laws and terms; describe and discuss how social, political, and legal environments shaped modern employee/management relationships in the US, and gave rise to labor unions. effectively negotiate a new labor agreement. compare and discuss labor relations in different work settings and nations. Course Outcome Measures: Completion of course assignments, weekly quizzes, three exams and a major bargaining project will provide students with opportunities to demonstrate subject matter knowledge, practice writing skills, communication skills, word processing and spreadsheet skills. Students are required to use a variety of online communication tools such as , accessing websites, and viewing streaming media. Participation in a collective bargaining simulation provides an opportunity to practice group skills, organizational skills, analytical skills, and negotiation skills.

2 Course Grade Weights: Exam 1 - Rights & Responsibilities of Unions & Mgt. 20% Exam 2 - Negotiating & Administering a Contract 20% Exam 3 - Changes to Work & Globalization 20% Collective Bargaining Project 20% Weekly Quizzes, Assignments, Discussion Participation 20% Total 100% NOTE: The 3 exams will be in-class; the weekly quiz is taken via Blackboard and due each Monday (one day before class) by 11:00 pm. NOTE: The actual points vary on exams, quizzes and assignments but the relative weights for the assessment categories as shown above will be used to determine course grades. Letter Grade Ranges: A+= % A = % A- = % B+= % B = % B- = % C+= % C = % C- = % D+= % D = % D- = % F = 59% or less PLEASE CONTACT THE INSTRUCTOR IF ALTERNATE TEST FORMATS OR OTHER ACCOMMODATIONS ARE NEEDED FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES. The Disability Resource Center is in Admin.114, , and can offer further assistance. Website: About the Course: Fall semester, first day of class is Tuesday August 25th, 2015 and semester end is on Friday December 11th, 2015, with final exams the following week. This is a scheduled, sequential course with deadlines. While you have some flexibility to work ahead on some material, you and your teammates will be hurt if you lag behind. This is a 3 credit course, expect to spend 3 hours in class plus 3-5 hours each week doing homework, reading, and working on the group project. Participation: Participation is a mandatory component of the course. You must actively contribute to group assignments and the collective bargaining project in order to pass the course. Active participation is also demonstrated by communicating with the instructor by , in person, and actively contributing at meetings with your group members. Failure to actively contribute to the group collective bargaining project may result in failing the course. Being present is not the same as actively contributing. How you Showup is not the same as just showing up.

3 Exams: Make-up exams will only be given in extreme circumstances. Contact me as soon as possible if you have an emergency situation or a very well planned situation (i.e. surgery). If you are a no-show for an exam without an excused absence your test score will be zero. Failure to take any of the exams, or scores below 60% on 2 of the exams may result in failing the course. If you can't pass the exams, you don't know the material well enough to get a passing grade. The good news is, if you read the material, do well on the quizzes, pay attention in class, and put energy into the group project you should be fine. Quizzes: Weekly graded quizzes include true/false and multiple choice questions from the assigned text chapter and lesson. Quizzes are timed (25 minutes) but not proctored. They can be taken from any computer, may be opened only once and must be completed once started. Waiting until the last minute to take a quiz leaves no room for error from technical difficulties. Failure to take a quiz by the deadline results in a zero score. Before you take a quiz: First read the assigned textbook chapter. Leave enough time to read with focus. Notes and books are allowed for the graded quizzes, but you won't have time to look up the answers if you don't know the material. Take the weekly graded quiz by clicking on the "Wk# Quiz" link in the weekly folder. Blackboard is unforgiving once you click the link. Be sure you are ready and have the time to complete the graded quiz before you click on Take Quiz button. Each weekly quiz is due, 11pm Monday, following the lecture on that chapter, (unless otherwise shown on the schedule). Things happen - call me or send an , by Monday noon, if you need to discuss having your quiz reset. Reading: All reading and video assignments are due before class, week 1 being the exception. Collective Bargaining Project: Students are assigned to Union or Management groups and will negotiate the terms of a new collective bargaining agreement using the information provided in the course website. "General Instructions" for all participants, with dates and deadlines, are found on the course website by clicking on the "Bargaining Project" button. Individual Bargaining Project grades are based on the quality of the group bargaining plan, quality of preparation, negotiation, final deliverable and peer evaluations assessing the contributions made by the student. "Fatal flaws" such as illegal provisions, contradictory provisions, unsustainable business decisions, lack of serious bargaining, general sloppiness, or poor teamwork will affect group grades. Students assessed as not making significant contributions to the group's efforts face a grade penalty (up to "zero" project credit), most likely resulting in failing the course. As in the real world, failure to reach an agreement by the deadline can result in short-term costs to all parties, in this case a maximum grade of "C" will be given to groups that end in a stalemate (in other words, it is better to get a contract than to end at an impasse).

4 Attendance: Attendance is encouraged and tracked. A student with a strong attendance and participation record may be given positive consideration for the next higher grade if he/she is on the bubble for the next higher final grade. In no case will a student with a poor attendance record be considered for a bump-up in grade. Code of Conduct: Per your Student Handbook ( "Cheating or plagiarism in any form is unacceptable." Do your own work where individual work is indicated - take your own quizzes and exams using your own knowledge, and participate fully in assigned group activities. We are on the honor system, which holds trust and responsibility at its core. You are held to the highest standards of personal integrity. HRM340 Employee & Labor Relations Course Calendar (subject to change) Week 1 8/25 Topic INTRODUCTION Assignments (see Weekly folders in Blackboard for complete details) Read: Ch. 1 Contemporary Labor Relations: Objectives, Practices, & Challenges, & Chp. 2 Labor Unions: Good or Bad? (just pp & Fundamental Assumptions ). Assignments: See Week1 Assignments folder for complete details: watch 20 min. video: "Voices that Count"; take first quiz (Chaps. 1 and 2); due, next Monday 8/31, 11pm 2 9/1 HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT Read: Ch. 3 Historical Development Assignments: See Assignments-Week 02 including: Watch 40 min. video: "Organizing America: History of Labor Unions". Take Chap 3 Quiz; due, next Monday 9/7, 11 pm 3 9/8 LABOR LAW Read: Ch. 4 Labor Law; visit the websites for AFL-CIO & NLRB in Week 3 Lesson. Assignments: Take Sec.7 Quiz online (same as on p. 122) and Chap 4 Quiz due, next Monday, 9/14, 11 pm 4 9/15 5 9/22 LABOR & MANAGEMENT UNION ORGANIZING Read: Ch. 5 Labor & Mgt.: Strategies, Structures and Constraints. Assignments: Group communications assignments: Select group roles; Take Chap 5 Quiz, due, next Monday, 9/21, 11 pm Read: Ch. 6 Union Organizing; Zinnia-H56 Collective Bargaining Agreement. Assignments: Explore Bargaining Project & Zinnia Hotel sites, and labor contract. Take Chap 6 Quiz due, next Monday, 9/28, 11 pm. Review for Exam 1. 6 Exam 1 Covering Chaps. 1-6 (see study guide)

5 9/29 Begin the reading for Week 07-Bargaining. Begin preparing for the Bargaining Project by reading General Instructions in the Bargaining Project area, and review the Zinnia Hotel area information in Blackboard. Assignments: Barg. Project (BP) Step 1: Understand the Win-Win style of bargaining/negotiating. 7 10/6 8 10/ /20 BARGAINING IMPASSE RESOLUTION Read: Ch. 7 Bargaining. Assignments: BP Step 2: Individual assignment Each student selects 2 (or more) bargaining issues and a negotiation position for each issue. Team Recorder sends (via ) a consolidated list with each student name and their two (or more, 8 per team) suggested issues by, Monday, 10/12, 11 pm. Take Chap. 7 Quiz, due, next Monday, 10/12, 11 pm. Read: Ch. 8 Impasse, Strikes, and Dispute Resolution; articles in Wk8 folder. Watch: Bargaining Plan Worksheet Instructions Video, 10 min. Assignments: BP Step 3 & 4: Submit your group s first bargaining plan to Mr. Gambassi; due next Monday, 10/19, 11 pm. Take Chap 8 Quiz; due, next Monday, 10/19, 11 pm. Read: Ch. 9 Contract Clauses & Their Administration. CONTRACT Assignments: Work on bargaining plan revisions as instructed CLAUSES & in feedback from Mr. Gambassi. Take Chap 9 Quiz; due next ADMINISTRATION Monday, 10/26, 11 pm. Review for Exam / / / /17 Exam 2 THE CHANGING STRUCTURE OF WORK Pre- Negotiations Prep NEGOTIATIONS WEEK Exam 2 covering Chs. 7, 8, 9. (see study guide) Work on bargaining plan revisions. Read: Ch. 10 Flexibility, Empowerment & Partnership. Assignments: Work on revised bargaining plans as instructed in feedback from Mr. Gambassi. Final bargaining plans due, 12 NOON, next Monday, 11/9. Take Chap 10 Quiz; due, next Monday, 11/9, 11pm. Assignments: In Class: Hold first meeting with other side to settle on ground rules, Identify and agree on 8 bargaining items. Document all decisions, and turn into instructor tonight before leaving. BP Step 5: Use this time to negotiate the new Zinnia Labor Agreement and begin contract revision/costs, etc. Talks progess during class session (find space in COBE). Return to classroom at 8:15 pm. Negotiations must be completed by Midnight, this coming Sunday, 11/22 NOTE: This project is 20% of your course grade, it requires a lot of time and work! Plan 6-12 hours to negotiate & finalize the contract! 14 11/24 No Class Thanksgiving Week 15 12/1 Write-up Contract Changes GLOBALIZATION Assignments: BP Step 6: Mgmt. edits contract and s to Instructor, due, next Sunday, 12/6, 11pmt; Union writes ratification speech and s, due, next Sunday, 12/6, 11pm. BP Step 7: Everyone reviews negotiated contract terms.

6 Read: Ch. 11 Globalization; Assignments: BP Step 8: Contract, cost estimates, Union ratification speech, Mgmt. Observations document, submitted in hard copy, at next Tuesday s (Presentation Week) class. BP Step 9: Peer evaluations due by , Friday 12/11, 11 p.m. Download the evaluation form from the Bargaining Project section on Blackboard. You Must write comments on each member of your team and yourself. Take Chap 11 Quiz; due, next Monday, 12/7, 11 p.m. Review for Exam 3 (see study guide) *Note: classes end next Friday / /15 PRESENTATION WEEK Finals Week- Exam 3 In-class presentations: Union delivers ratification speech to your members (classmates). Management presents to shareholders (classmates) observations and comments on the negotiations process. Exam 3 - Chaps. 10, 11. (see study guide) * Verify location date & time on Registrar s website