PHR/SPHR Professional in Human Resources Certification All-in-One Exam Guide

CHAPTER7

Employee and Labor Relations

Early in the existence of employee-employer relationships, there was little a worker could do but say “yes” to every employer instruction or demand. There was no recourse for employees. If the employee didn’t like the employer or the way he or she was being treated, the only option in many cases was to resign the position and look for another. Unfortunately, good references were often required by new, would-be employers so they would know the worker was responsive and responsible. Without those written references, obtaining work elsewhere was difficult at best.

In the nineteenth century, a fledgling union movement from the previous century began to gain traction and employee recruitment to union organizations ...