Managing Human Resources, Eight Edition

Labor Relations in the United States

Labor relations in the United States evolved from the philosophy of the U.S. labor movement, which accepted the country’s capitalist economic structure and wanted to operate within it.13 U.S. unions have avoided a permanent affiliation with a political party and have focused on improving their members’ welfare through dealing directly with the companies that employ their members. The key factors that characterize labor relations in the United States are (1) business unionism, (2) unions structured by type of job, (3) a focus on collective bargaining, (4) labor contracts, (5) the adversarial nature of labor–management relations and shrinking union membership, and (6) the growth of unions in the public sector. ...