Jobs Are Scarce. The Dollar

¶ … Jobs are scarce. The dollar is weak and the deficit is enormous. We live in uncertain times, where the only certainty about job security is there is no job security. Moreover, we live in an era where it is a buyer's market, meaning, that power rests in the hands of hiring managers, HR departments and private and public employers. No one job is safe. Therefore, astute employees must know how to navigate the waters in both public and private sector labor relations.

Labor Relations Public sector employees once faced the prospect of lifetime employment. For many, the notion of a civil servant job appealed because of union representation, paid holidays and vacations, a good retirement system as well as potential advancement through the bureaucracy. One need only be able to pass a certain test, score well on a performance evaluation to move through the ranks into lifetime employment. As a public employee, there are certain standards and policies that employees must adhere to in order to remain gainfully employed.

For example, Postal Employees must adhere to Article 16, which regulates and monitors conduct outside of the workplace. Under Article 16, a postal employee charged or indicted for a crime outside of work can be fired from the Postal Service. This Article, posed a challenge for the Postal Worker's Union in 1999. An employee was charged with the crime of arson and burglary. Under Article 16, the Postal Service terminated the worker. The Postal Service argued that there was reasonable cause to fire said employee. The union disagreed.

The union argued that the employee's first line supervisor did not want to fire the employee. Because the direct supervisor did not want to terminate the employee, the union admonished that the employee should be reinstated. Moreover, the union argued that the employee had not been convicted (at that point) of the crime, and that the Postal Service did not have just cause to fire him. The implications for public sector employees are troubling.

First, it appears that public sector employees are held to a higher standard than their private sector peers. Because they work for the public (e.g. Postal Workers) their behavior outside of work can and will have an impact on employment, as was the case of the fired postal worker. Regardless of the outcome, the employer chose to terminate rather than heed the opinion of the direct supervisor.

This is troubling since the organization appears to be merely following policy for policy's sake, rather than adhere to the judgment of the boss. There seems to be little to no latitude in such instances. Second, as public sector employees, it appears that merit and character have little impact on the process. Throughout the aforementioned case, the character of the employee (a long time worker, a retired Veteran) did not matter in the case. What did matter were the process and the adherence to Article 16.

This is not to suggest that labor relations in the private sector are better. Indeed, it can seem to some employees, particularly those working in low wage jobs, there are little job security and little opportunity for help and support when problems arise. As stated previously, with the unemployment rate in the double digits, employees must be careful to keep existing jobs. One should be careful in his or her behavior on and off the job.

Private sector employees are just as likely to be held accountable for their actions outside of work. Most companies, large and small, do not want bad press. Therefore, when an employee is charged or indicted for a crime, it could be grounds for dismissal. In such cases, for non-union employees, there is verily little he or she can do to rectify the situation. No grievances can be filed, as there is no union to represent the fired employee.

When one is fired, under the umbrella of just cause, there is little recourse. One advantage for private sector employees is the fact that there is less likely a chance that their private behavior can and will impact gainful employment. Because one works for a private company, he or she is not a.