BIBFRAME Work

Title

Labor relations

Type

  • Text
  • Monograph

Contribution

Subject

Language

Classification

Content

Supplementary content

Summary

"The traditional approach to studying U.S. labor relations focuses on an uncritical exploration of how the existing labor processes work: how unions are organized, how contracts are negotiated, and how disputes and grievances are resolved. And because U.S. unions have typically used these processes to win detailed work rules, there is a tendency to equate labor relations with work rules and therefore to structure labor relations courses and textbooks around examination of these work rules. In other words, traditional labor relations textbooks have been dominated by rich descriptions of the how, what, and where of the major labor relations processes. But what's missing is the why. Labor relations are not about work rules. Labor relations processes and work rules are simply a means to more fundamental ends or objectives. What are these objectives? Under what conditions are collectively bargained work rules a desirable or undesirable method for achieving these objectives? In the today's world of work, are there better ways of pursuing these objectives? These are the central and engaging questions of labor relations-questions ignored by textbooks that narrowly focus on how the existing labor relations processes and detailed work rules operate in practice. The importance of moving beyond a process-based focus in studying labor relations is underscored by the fact that today's labor relations processes are in the spotlight. There has been an upsurge in worker activism, but why, and what are the goals? Business professionals, labor leaders, politicians, and diverse academics frequently criticize the operation of contemporary U.S. labor relations, albeit usually for different reasons. Analyzing whether the labor relations system needs updating and evaluating alternative options for reform requires an intellectual framework that is rooted in the objectives of the employment relationship. A description of how the current processes work without any discussion of what the processes are trying to achieve fails to provide the basis for determining whether the processes are working and fails to supply metrics for judging alternative strategies, policies, and processes"-- Provided by publisher.

Authorized Access Point

Budd, John W. Labor relations

Geographic Coverage

Intended audience

Ages 18+

Admin Metadata

  • Date: 2026-09-11T22:35:50.567810+00:00
  • Agent: cbc
  • Status: c
  • Derived from: 24016821

Admin Metadata

  • Date: 2026-09-11
  • Cataloger id: Unknown
  • Description level: http://id.loc.gov/ontologies/bibframe-2-6-0/
  • Description language: eng
  • Description authentication: pcc

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