In the labor market, employers face different challenges when handling their employees. Some employees have unrealistic demands that influence their colleagues hence making it difficult for employers to handle them. Similarly, employees go through some challenges caused by their employers. For instance, some employers exploit their employees for their selfish gains. This makes it necessary for stakeholders in the labor market to intervene and enact labor laws that protect both the employers and the employees.
The railroad labor act was passed in 1926 with the intention of ensuring that interstate commerce is not interrupted by disputes between carriers and workers. The act has provisions that provide ways of resolving disputes.
Another labor act, Norris-LaGuardia labor Act was enacted in 1932 to ensure that employers do not mistreat employees. It ensures that the rights of employees are not violated. The Wagner act was passed in 1935 and ensures that workers are given their rights to form unions. Landrum-Griffin Act prevents corruption in unions while the Taft-Hartley Labor Act prevents disputes from occurring in unions.
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The Railroad Labor Act, popularly known as the RLA was passed in 1926. It was jointly enacted by rail labor and management. In 1934 and 1966, slight amendments which led to the inclusion of aircrafts in 1936 were made on the act. The National Mediation Board, an independent federal agency is concerned with administering the policy.
One of the functions of RLA is to ensure that interstate commerce is not interrupted by solving disputes between carriers and their workers immediately. It also gives employees an opportunity to organize and conduct a collective bargain. It does this by compelling carriers and employees to pay duty intended at creating and maintaining agreements of collective bargaining.
Moreover, it settles all disputes that arising from the application of such agreements. In addition, RLA provides procedures of resolving mandatory disputes hence preventing strikes that arise from union representation and disputes related to grievances. The impact of this act in organizations is that it enables smooth running as well as making it possible for unions to serve employees well (Cihon, 2010).
The Norris-LaGuardia act was enacted in 1932, towards the end of the administration of Hoover. This was the first act among several laws that had been passed by the congress. The act enables labor unions to stage mass action and use other accepted ways of dealing with the management. In its first provision, it abolishes the yellow dog agreements or contracts that were enforced by federal courts.
Under the yellow dog agreement, employees were required to accept that they would never join any labor organization. The second provision of the act takes away the jurisdiction of issuing injunctions on non-violent strikes, patrols, assemblies or making public facts on labor disputes that the federal courts enjoyed.
The third provision of the act broadens the definition of labor dispute to include all the controversies related to the terms and conditions under which employees work. While its fourth provision warrants the issuance of injunctions by federal courts under strict safeguards.
The impact of this act is that it creates a limitation on injunctions that are issued as a result of violating no-strike provisions entrenched in agreements of collective bargaining. Another impact of the act is that it makes it possible for groups championing civil rights and unions to employ boycotts and picketing on controversial matters that ordinarily would not have been regarded as labor disputes (Bernstain, 2012).
The Wagner Act was enacted in 1935 with the intention of giving workers the right to form unions. After its creation, the National Labor Relations Board was constituted in order to ensure that the act was fully enforced. One of the provisions of the act is that it gives unsupervised employees a chance to form organizations and elect their own representatives who facilitate collective bargaining.
The act also aims at ensuring that employees have free choice and that collective bargaining is exercised as a way of sustaining industrial peace. The other provision of the act prevents employees from losing their jobs or being discriminated unfairly (Civics-online, n.d).
The Taft-Hartley Act which was enacted by U.S congress in 1947 was officially referred to as Labor Management Relations Act. Most of the national labor relations that were contained in the Wagner act of 1935 were amended by this act. The first provision of the act is the establishment of a system of controlling labor disputes.
Under the new system, the employer or union is required to give a notice to the other party prior to the termination of a collective bargaining agreement. The second provision of the act is empowerment of the government to secure an injunction of 80 days against strikes that are considered risky to national safety or health.
The third provision of the act is the prohibition of secondary boycotts and jurisdictional strikes while its fourth one prohibits unions from taking part in political campaigns. This act impacts union membership more substantially than it does on the bargaining power of established unions. Under this act, workers are given opportunities to form organizations and increase the impetus of unions.
The Landrum-Griffin Act was a crucial part of the federal Labor Laws. Its provisions were aimed at preventing corruption in unions and assuring the union members of democracy. It was formed after a publicized investigation that sought to reveal corruption in unions.
The first provision of the act is concerned with management and report delivery of union finances. Under this provision, unions are required to have bylaws and constitutions, copies of which are delivered to the U.S labor secretary. These reports indicate fees, dues, member qualification and financial auditing.
The second provision of the act is applied in situations when the autonomy of union locals is suspended by labor organizations. The provision focuses on the fact that national leaders of unions who are corrupt are capable of intercepting the control of unions with intentions of keeping power (Civics-online, n.d).
The third provision of the act focuses on the personal integrity and responsibility of officers of the unions and representatives. This provision stipulates that officers and representatives hold positions of trust in the organizations. This implies that individuals can be held responsible for acting selfishly. The impact of this act on organizations and union management is that it increases commitment and accountability since members and unions are held responsible for their actions.
References
Bernstain, N. (2012). Norris-Laguardia Act (1932). Web.
Cihon, P. (2010). Employment and Labor Law. New York : Cengage Learning.
Civics- online. (n.d). The Wagner Act of 1935. Web.