Collective Bargaining

¶ … Collective Bargaining Process According to John Piskulich in: "Collective Bargaining in State and Local Governments" In his book John Piskulich attempts to uncover why and how to manage collective bargaining. "Collective Bargaining in State and Local Governments" discusses how the collective bargaining process in the public sector has grown from a state of infancy to maturity. He makes note that policymakers are currently in a state of flux, constantly changing and modifying current regulations to keep up with the dynamic environments in which they work.

John Piskulich emphasizes in his work that public-sector unions act as a significant force in operating government agencies. One cannot consider the collective bargaining process without also acknowledging the role unions play in the policy making process. He also notes that unions have much control over labor costs and procedures that govern conduct and behavior in the workplace. The purpose of his book is to examine the state and local public-sector labor policies, and describe how the collective bargaining process is managed.

Additionally, as noted in Chapter one, Piskulich attempts to dispel myths that the concept of organized labor truly is a dinosaur, with no relevance to modern day organizations. The book has five main chapters in addition to a lengthy introduction and summary/conclusion. In the Introduction, Piskulich discusses the idea that unions are not "dead" in the United States, though they are certainly not as strong as they may have been in the past, nor as "healthy" (1).

Many people have predicted over the years, according to the book, the demise and destruction of labor unions, however this has not come to pass. Piskulich characterizes the labor union of today as "a shell of its former self" (1). Piskulich points out in the very beginning of his work that only approximately 17% of "private sector workforce members" are part of a union. However, he also notes that even in the heyday of unions, the uppermost percentages of members remained at about 35%.

Labor unions are particularly present nowadays in the public sector. More that "a third" of public sector employees are members of a union according to the book. Chapter 2 is titled "The Need for Further Testing." Piskulich challenges political scientists to spend more time considering the role and impact of organized labor in society today (19). He states that they currently spend very little time doing so, however also notes that most people have little interest in expending more energy pursuing this endeavor.

He re-iterates the idea that many people feel that labor unions are "dinosaurs," and thus the subject of organized labor is in effect, irrelevant and uninteresting (19). Interestingly, Piskulich challenges the reader in Chapter 2 to think a little harder about other dimensions of the process: (1) he states that collective bargaining's about power, and reminds the reader that workers can impact the "budgetary and procedural flexibility of economic and political institutions," which in effect make some people uneasy (19).

Chapter 3 begins, "What Governments Do: The History and Development of Government Public Sector Bargaining Provisions." This chapter discusses the task of policy analysis as defined by what governments actually do. It discusses the history and development of public sector labor policy, and discusses the types of decisions policymakers face when they decide to establish a collective bargaining system in the workplace. The chapter also discusses the nature and scope associated with policies developed in a collective bargaining atmosphere.

Piskulich goes into detail regarding the historical roots of collective bargaining, tracing it back to the late 1800's (29). Piskulich discusses public workers who became a part of "the general movement to reduce hours and improve wages and working conditions" right at the turn of the century (29). He mentions the following movements toward collective bargaining: naval craftsmen, teacher associations, police and fire, postal workers and the Knights of labor to name a few (29). The majority of these groups remain members of a unionized taskforce even today.

Postal workers, as Piskulich notes, began organizing several divisions, including the "National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) and the National Federation of Postal Clerks (NFPC) (29). The next chapter in the book, entitled "Why they Do It: The Antecedents of Public Sector Labor Policy" discusses the idea that policy analysis and why policy makers adopt of decide to not adopt a certain system of collective bargaining. Collective bargaining can in fact, be interpreted differently for each labor movement (65). Piskulich discusses various paradigms that officials have used to design their policy structure.

The next chapter moves on to discuss the impact that policies make on the workplace. Chapter five discusses the research Piskulich has presented in his work to this point, including the potential benefits that might be gained from the collective bargaining and policy making process, as well as the political process and impact of power such policies can have (85). Piskulich emphasizes that policymakers in the process of collective bargaining, at least hope to establish some balance between the employer power and worker power (85).

He states that policy makers and decision makers need to realize whether.