Proposals for the Future of Internal Crowdsourcing: A Trade Union-Based Approach

The “FST” personnel network “Forum Soziale Technikgestaltung” (Forum for Social Forms of Technology) from the German Trade Union Confederation (DGB) of Baden-Württemberg has been examining the subjects informatization of work and digitization since 1991. More than 4600 women and men from works councils and staff councils, union representative bodies and the workforce, large companies, small- and medium-sized enterprises, the manual trades, as well as self-employed people have been involved in an exchange about their experiences in production and services and in administrations. Against this background, and drawing on the accumulated knowledge gained from experience, the following proposals for the future of internal crowdsourcing have been derived. The proposals represent a trade union-based approach.

Effects of Union Certification on Workplace-Safety Enforcement: Regression-Discontinuity Evidence

The authors study how union certification affects the enforcement of workplace-safety laws. To generate credible causal estimates, a regression discontinuity design compares outcomes in establishments in which unions barely won representation elections to outcomes in establishments in which unions barely lost such elections. The study combines two main data sets: the census of National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) representation elections and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) enforcement database since 1985. Evidence shows positive effects of union certification on establishment’s rate of OSHA inspection, the share of inspections carried out in the presence of a union representative, violations cited, and penalties assessed.

PECULIARITIES OF TERMINATION OF LABOR CONTRACT WITH THE LEADER OF LEGAL ENTITY ON REQUEST OF ELECTIVE BODY OF PRIMARY TRADE UNION ORGANIZATION

The article discusses some aspects of the process of termination of the employment contract with the head of the enterprise, institution or organization at the request of the elected body of primary trade union organization (trade union representative). It is noted that the requirement to terminate the employment contract with the director does not terminate employment contract by itself, but obliges the employer to terminate it. Carried out the analysis of the distinctive features of the consideration of the proposal of the trade union body regarding the termination of the employment contract with the head of the legal entity on the Draft Labor Code. The innovations of the bill are recognized as justified, timely, such that they correspond to the modern level of development of labor relations and called upon to balance the interests of the parties to the employment contract. A number of features that need improvement have been identified, namely: 1) consolidation of the obligation to consider the representation of the trade union for its validity; 2) the need to assess the severity of violations of labor legislation, collective agreements and contracts, the Law of Ukraine "On Trade Unions, their Rights and Guarantees"; 3) Elimination of the obligation of the employer to appeal against the requirement of the primary trade union organization (trade union representative) as a condition for stopping the execution. The author of the article notes that the determination of the nature of the violation by the head of the enterprise, institution, organization of labor legislation will contribute to the effectiveness of sanctioning legal norms, and the abolition of the obligation of the employer to appeal the requirement of the primary trade union organization (trade union representative) to the court will make it possible to prevent abuse of their rights by the trade unions.

Deception in Intergroup Communication

Deception is the act of knowingly leading another person or persons to hold a false belief. Deception researchers have examined deception primarily as an interpersonal action between one person and another in an interpersonal context. The focus has been on the detectability of deception through verbal or nonverbal cues and the relational consequences of discovered deception in myriad situations. Rarely has deception been explored at the intergroup level. Intergroup deception consists of one group (or a representative of a group) lying to another during a situation in which social categories are highly salient. The primary difference between intergroup deception and interpersonal deception is to be found in the identity for each actor. Interpersonal deception suggests a shared underlying identity, while intergroup deception implies divergent identities. Politicians who lie to their constituents, a union representative lying to the management during a labor negotiation, or two ambassadors lying to each other while attempting to resolve a conflict between their two nations each would be considered intergroup lies if actors see themselves as primarily representing their larger social group rather than themselves as individuals. While studies of intergroup deceptions are relatively rare, there has been important work done in at least three different contexts: in communication between members of different cultures, communication between political or military factions, and communication between corporate entities where each actor represents not only their personal interests, but also those of their organization. In these cases, the communicators each represent a potentially hostile “other.” Earning trust in a situation of out-group engagement is a difficult endeavor, and the study of intergroup deception explores how trust is earned in such situations and how deceptive communication is judged when the parties represent opposing forces.

Benefits of providing Weingarten rights for nonunion employees

Purpose Unionized employees have the legal right to bring a union representative with them into an investigatory interview if they request it (“Weingarten rights”). This study aims to demonstrate that employers should allow nonunion employees the right to have a co-employee accompany them in a similar type of interview, if the employees make that request. Design/methodology/approach Not applicable. Findings There will be two benefits to allowing nonunion employees the right to bring a co-employee into an investigatory interview with them. First, this will be a form of organizational justice, and researchers demonstrated the benefits of employees perceiving that they receive organizational justice. Secondly, this will be a form of union substitution which should reduce employees’ desire for unionization. Originality/value Whereas most employers seek to avoid the application of Weingarten rights in nonunion workplaces, this article argues that organizations should grant employees this right voluntarily.

Union representation, collective voice and job quality: An analysis of a survey of union members in the UK finance sector

This article seeks to identify whether employee perceptions of job quality are better in instances where an onsite union representative is present. It also seeks to identify whether the relationship between onsite representative presence and job quality is explained by employee perceptions of union collective voice. The analysis, based on a survey of union members in the UK finance sector, demonstrates that employee perceptions of several dimensions of job quality are better where an onsite representative is present, and that this can be explained by the higher perceptions of union collective voice that onsite representatives engender.

Contact With the Workplace During Long-Term Sickness Absence and Worker Expectations of Return to Work

Since long-term sickness absence constitutes a problem in most western countries, research that can facilitate return to work (RTW) is important. Today there is evidence that the social context at the workplace has a significant impact on return to work. The dual aims of the study was firstly to investigate the pattern and quality of contact between employees on long-term sick leave and different actors at the workplace, and secondly to investigate whether contacts with the workplace were associated with expectations regarding return to work. An explorative method and descriptive design was used for the first aim. For the second aim, the data was analysed in a multivariate logistic regression model. The results show that employees had frequent and, in most cases, appreciated contact with their supervisor and co-workers. Contact with other workplace actors; that is, the occupational health unit, the union representative, and the human resources department, were less frequent. Employees who experienced the contact as supportive and constructive were far more positive and optimistic than others regarding return to work. It is concluded that supervisors and co-workers should be aware that they play a significant role in the return-to-work process, and that quality of contact is what matters.

The Textile Labour Association and Dadagiri: Power and Politics in the Working-Class Neighborhoods of Ahmedabad

This article explores the changing modes of political practices in the mill neighborhoods of Ahmedabad, through an investigation of the figure of the political intermediary. By focusing primarily on local municipal politics in the mill areas it charts the electoral fortunes of the main union, the Textile Labour Association, and the techniques of political control it exercised. Through an examination of the circulation of local power, I seek to understand the ambiguous but critical position occupied by the intermediary. I use both archival material and oral narratives to investigate the intersections and overlaps between two figures of local importance—the union representative and the neighborhood tough.