(Secord, 2003) All these 'Best Practice' strategies are allocated and implemented by the management with the help of the workers Union because the Unions negotiates with the management during the establishments of code-of-conduct or rule-of-working. The effects of unions on the organizations can be summarized as improvement innovations, quality of work, reduction of production costs and increase in productivity, improvement in opportunities for investors, improvement of workers training facilities and an increment in job creation processes of organization. (Secord, 2003)

Are unions still relevant in the United States?

Unions face opposition from both the workers and management. In some cases, workers complain of tyranny of Union representatives. Often well-educated and skilled workers prefer not to be a part of workers union and union is slowly becoming the representing unit of unskilled and less educated workers. With the implementation of Right-To-Work Laws, the membership levels of union are also decreasing. Some members who choose not to be a part of any union and not to support any such union financially are often termed as free riders. The general belief of such skilled and educated workers is, the Unions often create unwanted troubles, strike outs and confusion in the working environment (Holley, Jennings, Wolters, 2008). The Right to Work laws allows these free riders to avoid unions and to keep working irrespective of union's decisions.

Irrespective of these grievances of educated and skilled workers, labor unions...

One of such examples that explain the importance of Unions in U.S. For the U.S. workers can be sighted at the case of the accord between United Steelworkers and ArcelorMittal in 2008. The union negotiated with the company to cover the benefits of some 14,000 workers and many more retirees to provide them all the required benefits (Jones, 2008)
In absence of a proper union, it could have been difficult. Thus, in current phase of globalization, one can suggest that the significance of Unions is still important as they can provide a sheet of protection for the workers against any backdrop of industrial dealings.

References

Holley, William H; Jennings, Kenneth M; Wolters, Roger S. (2008) "The Labor

Relations Process" Cengage Learning.

Jones, Brent. (2008) "United Steelworkers, Arcelor Mittal reach agreement"

USA Today, p. 6.

N.A. (n. d.) "Define Unions and Labor relations and their impact on organizations"

Retrieved 5 August, 2010 from http://www.justanswer.com/questions/1p156-a-define-unions-and-labor-relations-and-their-impact-on-organizations

N.A. (n. d.) "Labor Relation papers" Retrieved 5 August, 2010 from http://www.*****/essays/Labor-Relations-Paper/204612

Secord, Hugh. (2003) "Implementing best practices in human resources management"

CCH Canadian Limited.