Cornell University ILR School

ILRHR523: Navigating Labor Relations

Navigating Labor Relations

Course Project

Instructions:

This project is made up of five parts, one for each of the five modules in this course. Each part enables you to apply the key learnings to your own business or organizational setting.

Note: With the exception of discussions, students in this course do not have access to the assignments submitted by other students, and eCornell instructors and teaching assistants are required to treat assignments like this as confidential. You are also free to modify your descriptions in all parts of this document in order to meet any privacy and confidentiality concerns of your organization. You may base your responses on your own organization or any organization with which you are familiar. You do not need to specify the name of the organization.

When you complete all five parts of this document and are ready to submit it, refer to the instructions found near the end of the course.

Part One: Analyzing the Labor Relations Environment

A. If you have not already done so, download the Labor Relations Environment Analysis tool found in Module One. Fill out as much as you can, and then talk with a manager or knowledgeable colleague in your organization to complete the remainder.

When you’re finished, highlight the content of that document, beginning with the heading “Company/Organization.” Then copy and paste it below. This will enable you to build out a single course project document containing the major activities of this course.

[PASTE YOUR COMPLETED ANALYSIS HERE]

B. Based on the information you captured above, think of a question you would like to research regarding the union or unions relevant to your organization, or another aspect of the labor relations environment in which your organization operates or in your region or country. Then fill in the following:

1. Your question:

2. Your findings (2-3 paragraphs):

3. Source of information:

4. Significance of this to you or your organization:

Part Two: Assessing the Current State of Labor Relations

If you have not already done so, download the Labor Relations System Assessment tool found in Module Two and fill it out.

This kind of assessment can be challenging. For the purposes of this course, you are simply expected to do an informal assessment of your organization, or an organization with which you are familiar, using the knowledge you have available to you within the time constraints of this course. One way of doing this is by arranging a meeting with one or two knowledgeable colleagues and using this tool as the basis for discussion and brainstorming. Record your best estimate of the current state of affairs, even if your knowledge of the organization is limited. By using the tool as an exercise, you will become more aware of the potential linkage between organizational and employee outcomes, and the processes and attitudes currently found in your organization.

A full-scale, in-depth assessment of your labor relations system is beyond the scope of this course. After completing the course, you may wish to use this exercise as a starting point for a more detailed assessment involving further consultation and effort.

When you’re finished capturing your informal findings in the assessment tool, highlight and copy the content of that document, and then paste it below. As noted at the beginning of this document, feel free to modify your descriptions in any way in order to conceal the identity or protect the confidentiality of the organization and individuals you are describing.

[PASTE YOUR ASSESSMENT INFORMATION HERE]

Part Three: Preparing for Possible Labor Disruptions

A. Strike plan with no warning: How would you respond if the workers in your plant (or business unit or company) suddenly went on strike? In the space below, create a list of at least five actions you and the management at your site could take to minimize the impact of the strike on production, sales, and profits.

B. Strike plan with a year to plan: Now suppose you have a year to plan for the strong possibility that workers in your plant (or business unit or company) will go on strike. In the space below, create a list of at least five actions you and the management at your site could take to minimize the impact of a strike on your organization’s production, sales, and profits. Include some indication of how costly the steps you’re recommending would be.

Part Four: Negotiating Effectively

Choose an issue or problem that has surfaced, or may surface, involving a work practice or a pay issue. You may find it helpful to focus on an issue that you identified earlier as problematic, where solving that issue would lower costs, improve productivity, or improve product quality.

In the space below, briefly describe the problem or issue and how it affects, or is likely to affect, your organization. Then briefly outline a negotiations plan, including the extent to which the plan will require use of the four different components of the negotiations process: integrative, distributive, intraorganizational, and trust negotiations. (These components are discussed in Module Four’s videos and also summarized in the Glossary at the bottom of the Modules page.)

1. Problem or issue:

2. Impact on organization:

3. Negotiations plan (at least 3-4 paragraphs):

Part Five: Managing Workplace Conflict

For this final part of the course project, write several paragraphs below describing how an employee complaint is handled in your organization. How is the complaint submitted, what parties are typically involved in processing the complaint, and what steps are followed?

As you outline the process, point out any steps where someone in your role would be involved, and spell out exactly what specific actions would be required. Include arbitration, negotiation, or mediation steps where relevant.

Your description can be written in general terms, or you may take a specific type of employee complaint and describe how it would be handled.

1. How a complaint is submitted:

2. Parties involved in processing a complaint:

3. Steps in complaint processing:

When finished, submit this entire document for assessment, following the instructions found at the end of the course.