The Collective Bargaining Process: A Human Relations Analysis

Abstract

Once there was a president of a small unorganized company who believed firmly in labor unions. He was therefore gratified when his employees notified him that they were joining a union and wished to bargain collectively with him. The negotiating committee submitted its demands in advance and the president studied them carefully. As he compared those demands with contracts in other companies in his industry, he could find nothing that seemed unreasonable. The employees were simply asking for conditions that would put them in line with those existing in plants which had been organized for several years. So when the negotiating committee came in to bargain, he simply told them that he was prepared to accept their terms in full and sign a contract at once. Such a magnanimous attitude, he thought, would establish a firm basis for harmonious relations.