Labor unions Essay

Over the years, labor unions have been around to make sure that employers are taking care of their workers’ needs. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the unions to create rules and regulations that benefit both the employer and the employee. Due to the varied needs and demands of every industry, it is crucial that various sectors have their own unions. Therefore, it is in the interests of unions to work within the labor laws that they have established in light of the conditions that each industry faces. The American airline business and labor unions are comparable in this regard. Most of the unions started out great with the majority of U.S. airline employees voting to join a respective union. However, this is not the case today. There is a matter of concern over the current state of union relations in the U.S. airline industry that has to be addressed should the original concept of unionization be apprehended.

Of particular interest is how employees choose to relate with their labor representatives. In the recent past, airlines have been subjected to employees threatening to strike over pay rise amongst other issues. Given that it is the responsibility of their unions to advocate for their best interest, employees, and more so pilots have now turned against the leadership of their unions. For instance, DeMaura (2012) explains that two U.S. airlines have had their pilots turn down pay increase from their employers even when the conditions of the increase supported by their union leaders. This, therefore, shows the lack of union between the represented (workers) and the unions.

There is also the situation of harsh terms given by airline unions regardless of the economic conditions that the airlines are facing. DeMaura (2012) describes the situation as unions being too concern over the well being of their own that they do not realize the potential downfall in the future. Basically, most unions in the U.S. airlines industry maintain or call for an increase in wages even when the airline is on the verge of a bankruptcy. This puts the latter at a competitive disadvantage with the future risk of closure to mean even the employees will eventually be at a loss.

From the case scenario as reported by DeMaura (2012), the American Airlines’ Allied Pilots Associated is definitely risking the future of American Airlines with its union demands. This is because as they continue to decline the offers being presented and supported by the union, it is most likely that the latter will choose to dismiss their complaint. According to NLRB (n.d.) explains that at times, the board might find no wrong with the labor complaint as issues. With the situation, Reuters (2012) explains that the former union boss was forced to quit his position because he agrees with the raise in wages the pilots were being offered. But since the majority of the latter did not, it only means that the union, under a different leadership, now has to negotiate a better or worse deal. This potentially means that the union might find the demands of the APA to be out of context thus dismissing their original complaint. As such, the future of the American Airlines with the union demands will be at risk when the latter cannot fully represent the interests of the former.

As explained by Jamieson (2015), the unionization of the U.S. airline industry was a welcomed gesture for the majority of the industry workers. It did appear to be a promising relationship for employees given the opportunity unions had in respect to helping employees achieve better pay and work environment. However, the same cannot be said for the situation today. Going by the example of the American Airlines, it can be said that employees are less convinced with the efforts put forth by their unions. As such, they are taking up matter into their own hands. This, however, is putting them at risk of poor work contracts with low pay because of harsh economic times. This goes to show that in as much as the union is fighting to improve the American Airlines situation for the benefits of the pilots; there is a possibility that they may receive the worst deal in the future. Jacobs (2012) writes, “Pilots rejected a last and best offer from American on August 8. Should a bankruptcy judge allow the carrier to scrap its current contracts with the pilots’ union, American could implement new work terms that are harsher as it looks to save labor costs.” This best explains the dire situation that American has to solve as amicably as possible.

The situation at American Airline is today much worse given that the pilots association choose to rank it as the third best amongst its competition. What prompted this was the poor employee relation as complained about ranging from low paycheck to poor piloting schedules, fatigue and poor hotel arrangements amongst others (Reed, 2016). This recent developments best affect the motivation of American Airlines employees. As such, there is the possibility for increased turnover rates within the airline with pilots and other employees looking for better options. It might also mean that the employees are not loyal enough to the airline to try and rescue the image of American Airlines.

According to Bhaskara (2016), the majority of U.S. airlines are also in jeopardy due to labor demands. This is because of the increase in profit margins being recorded with different airlines and because of labor demands, these profits are subject to increased employee demands by the unions. Ideally, realizing profits means that airlines have to stop stringing its pilots and other employees by increasing their pay (Bhaskara, 2016). This should give room for more conflict between U.S. airlines, employees, and the unions.

The U.S. airline unions were established with the idea that they help employees realize better-working conditions and terms. However, there are specific union demands that appear to be jeopardizing the entire situation and perhaps the reason majority of employees today would like for the union to lessen its grip a little. This is because majority of the workers feel like, with less influence, the situation is most likely to improve for the benefit of all but more so for the workers. Therefore, it can be understood that the current dilemma has been made worse by union laws that were initially meant to improve the situation. This goes to show that not all labor demands work for the benefit of the employees and as such, there need to be reasonable demands that can be met with the interest of everyone in consideration.

References

Bhaskara, V. (2016). LABOR RELATIONS AT U.S. AIRLINES BEGIN TO SHOW CRACKS. Retrieved from https://airwaysmag.com/industry/labor-relations-at-us-airlines-show-cracks/

DeMaura, S. (2012). Not Just Public Unions: Private Sector Unions Hurting Business. Retrieved from http://townhall.com/columnists/stephendemaura/2012/08/13/not_just_public_unions_private_sector_unions_hurting_business

Jamieson, D. (2016). American Airlines, US Airways Workers Vote Overwhelmingly To Join Union. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/16/american-airlines-us-airways_n_5831918.html

NLRB (n.d.). The NLRB Process. Retrieved from https://www.nlrb.gov/resources/nlrb-process

Reed, T. (2016). American Airlines Pilot Union Leader Blasts ’Culture Gone Awry’ After US Airways Merger. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/tedreed/2016/01/25/american-airlines-pilot-union-leader-blasts-culture-gone-awry-after-us-airways-merger/#2745847f2061

Reuters (2012). American Air pilots’ union: no strike unless it is legal. Retrieved from http://www.reuters.com/article/us-americanairlines-pilots-idUSBRE87T14O20120830