Human Resources Management (HRM)

The Assignment
You overhear this discussion at the Underground Bar late one Saturday night:
Speaker One:
To help workers gain higher wages and better benefits, we need to level the
playing field between unions and employers. Since the early 1980s, unions have
been steadily losing ground, not just because of changes in the economy but also
because today’s labour laws have provided workers with very little protection.
Each year… workers are fired or lose wages simply for trying to organize and
join unions. That needs to change. We should have tougher penalties to prevent
employers from firing or discriminating against workers involved in organizing
efforts, and unions should be recognized without a vote if a majority of employees
sign union membership cards.
2
Speaker Two:
Hogwash. Unions are part of the problem with our economy. The government
should be helping to weaken unions, not strengthen them.
Your assignment is to write a short, well-structured essay that analyzes and evaluates the
above exchange. Note that there is no “right” answer to this debate: the two quotes
present two sides of an argument. There are many ways to interpret this debate and you
have wide latitude to decide how you wish to respond. Your job is to express an opinion
and to then back it up with research from the course materials, plus any other additional
research you believe is useful. Do you agree with one speaker or another, are they both
wrong, or are they both partially correct, in your opinion?
Your essay is not to exceed 5 double-spaced pages (times new roman font, 12 pin).
Papers going over that length will be deducted marks. There is a useful skill in making
succinct arguments, and that is part of this assignment, so stay within the page allotment.