Union-Management Relationships in Perspective Essay

Union-Management Relationships in Perspective - Essay Example The main people involved in the labor relationships are management and the union. There are other groups of people who are affected but not to a great extent. Labor relationships in the United States involve the following three assumptions. First, there is a conflict of interest between employees and employers. Employees aim at increasing their personal wealth through higher wages and safer working environments whereas the main of a goal of the management is to increase the returns. This results in a conflict of interest between the two parties. The second assumption that is made is that employees have a right to pursue their employment interests within the parameters of the law in a free society. This is usually not the case since employees usually face some constraints which deter them from fully pursuing their rights. Finally, employees are not required to join a labor union but if the majority of the employee group wants to join a union they should be permitted but in most cases, employees belong to a union. The performance of the economy affects the bargaining item. The focus when the economy is doing well will be different from when the economy is downsizing. International forces also influence bargaining in one way or another since no single economy operates in isolation. In the past few years, union membership has decreased. There have been various labor organizations, the earliest ones dating to early 1900. Prior to World War I there were three major national labor organizations. They were the Knights of Labor (KOL), the American Federation of Labor and the Industrial Workers of the World. The KOL opposed spreading of technology in a bid to protect its members from being replaced by machines. The American Federation of Labor major goal was to improve the material conditions of its members through the existing capitalistic system.

The similarities and differences of the book Robinson Crusoe and other Research Paper

The similarities and differences of the book Robinson Crusoe and other stories about being stranded - Research Paper Example Just as with the other voyages, this also encounters a storm that wrecks the ship thereby leaving him destitute in an unnamed Island. The story differs from other stories that portray similar plots. Among the differences are discussed below. Setting is a fundamental feature in literature; it refers to the placement of the story. This includes the timing and location of the action. The author of the fictional story places the story in an early American society. The actions in the story take place in 1651 when Robinson Crusoe sets out for the first time. In such an early society, the main means of transport was through ships owing to the lack of the contemporary more efficient means of transportation such as airplanes. Captainship was therefore an equally reputable profession owing to the vibrancy of the transportation industry. This explains Robinson’s great passion to become a sailor. He defies his parent’s wishes and sets out in precarious industry that later threatens to claim his life (Ross 33). The placement of the story validates both the plot and the themes that the author addresses in the novel. This is a major difference with other stories addressing similar concepts key among which is Lost. Adopted into a serial television program, the story revolves around the lives of a group of survivors stranded as their airplane crushes in an inhabited Island in New Guinea. Unlike Robinson Crusoe, the setting in Lost is in a modern society. The series of actions in the story therefore portray the modern day features unlike Robinson Crusoe which portrays various unrealistic features all of which the author validates by placing the story back in time when the society believed in various superstitions. However, the authors of both the stories understand the need for conflicts in the stories. Conflicts sustains stories, the authors therefore develop a series of relative conflicts in their stories thereby authenticating their different plots. Robin son Cr usoe becomes a lone survivor of a shipwreck as he swims to the Island where he survives for several years. He adopts to the life of the jungle as the author strives to develop by portraying him as the protagonist hero. The author positions Robinson Crusoe as a sole survivor a feature that makes the story predictable since from the moment of the shipwreck, an audience understands that the story would center on the life of the sole survivor and if the story is to end on a positive tone then the sole survivor must overcome all his subsequent challenges. The author positions Robinson Crusoe as a strong and independent hero who survives a series of bad luck and unimaginable occurrences. Key among such is his ability to survive a shipwreck that claims the lives of all the people on board. The wind was so strong that it broke the ship into pieces. Robinson Crusoe survives by recovering from memory lapse following the impact of the shipwreck. He adopts a plank and sails slowly to the island hundreds of miles away. Once in the island, Robinson must survive. He therefore adopts various characters as he sets out to look for booth food and a source of warmth. He lights a fire and the story changes setting to center on the life of the sole survivor while on the Island. Unlike in lost where the story portrays various characters, Robinson Crusoe is a sole character in a backward society. The island in which