The New York Times Case in the News LO17-1, 17-2, 17-3, 17-4 Advocates for Worke

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The New York Times Case in the News LO17-1, 17-2, 17-3, 17-4 Advocates for Workers Raise the Ire of Business America's labor unions have and winning sizable settlements from $300,000 to the Coalition of farmous chefs. The roup even intl. types of worker advocacy groups have trated the National Restaurant Asso- tion gave $717,000 to the National kalee workers. The Ford Founda. lost members and clout, new nationwide, and they haveciation's lobbying day on Capitol Hill, Domestic Workers Alliance, $1.15 Center for Racial Justice, and $2.4 started protesting low wages at Capital Grille a restaurants, for instance, and dem- onstrating outside Austin City Hall in Texas against giving Apple tax breaks. tures as labor unions under federal law and strategies Business groups argue that worker million to the Restaurant Opportuni- Mr. Berman, who receives mil- ties Center. centers should face the same stric- noring these groups for ncluding detailed financial disclosure, lions of dollars from business to fight groups and power regular election of leaders and bans unions and oppose a higher minimum Atter years, business ful lobbyists, heavily backed by the restaurant industry, are mounting an groups say aggressive campaign against them, unions by targeting specific employers maintaining that they are fronts for and pushing them to improve wages organized labor. on certain types of picketing. Business wage, acknowledges that he is using worker centers act like a hammer to prevent these groups from growing far more There's quite a range of actv- tunities Center, Scott Defife, an exec- ity among worker centers," said Mr Regarding the Restaurant Oppor Business officials say these groups tunities Center, Scott DeFife, an exec companies unfairly and utive vice president at the National Berman, whose lobbying fim has Association, said. They're spawned numerous spinoff nonprofits inaccurately, while the groups question corporations have attacked such trying to have it both ways. They're a including the Center for Union Facts. union and not a union. They're orga- They have yet to reach the point of edgling organizations The United States Chamber of nizing workers but not organizing being a long-term problem. We're try- Commerce issued a detailed report workers. They have a history of tactics ing to stay ahead of the curve. n November criticizing what it calls unions couldn't get away with. progressive activist foundations that donate millions of dollars to these grown far more concened aboutter, has repeatedly strategized to get groups, centers. The business-backed Worker ard L. Trumka, the AFL-CIO's presi- does an annual dining guide, giv- Center Watch has asked Florida's dent, announced last March that ing a thumbs down to restaurants it attorney general to investigate the organized labor would work closely says treats employees poorly by, for finances of the Coalition of Immokalee with these groups, many of which instance, avoiding paid sick days. Workers. That group sponsored a pro-were formed to help immigrant The group enraged one of New test last March in which more than workers whom unions had long York's top chefs, Daniel Boulud, by 100 workers marched 200 miles to the overlooked. "For the employer com demonstrating outside his Daniel res headquarters of Publix supermarkets munity, it's a question of what does taurant with a 12-foot-tall inflatable to urge it to pay more for tomatoes so this grow into," said Glenn Spencer, cockroach, asserting that the res farmworkers could be paid more. Saru Jayaraman, a co-founder of the Restaurant Opportunities Cen- Business groups say they have which are often called worker these new organizations since Rich- under the industry's skin. Her group executive director of the Chamber's taurant's Hispanic and Bangladeshi A prominent Washington lobbyist, Workforce Freedom Initiative, which employees faced discrimination when Richard Berman, has run full-page commissioned the study on founda they applied to become waiters. Her ads attacking the Restaurant Oppor- tion funding. Judging from Trumka's group reached a confidential settle- tunities Center, accusing it of intimi- remarks, organized labor sees a lot of ment with Mr. Boulud. After a simi- lar protest against Mario Batali's Del up a separate website, ROCexposed. According to that study, millions Posto restaurant in Manhattan, he of dollars have flowed to worker reached a settlement that called for The Restaurant Opportunities Cen-centers from 21 foundations. From paying $1.15 milion over misappro ter is one of the nation's largest worker 2009 to 2012, it found, the Margue priated tips and unpaid overtime and centers, sponsoring repeated pro- rite Casey Foundation gave $300,000 included new policies on promotions dating opponents. He has even setpotential in this model. com, to attack the group. tests inside Capital Grille restaurantsto the Southwest Workers Union and and paid sick days. 532

Explanation / Answer

1. The types of conflicts described in this case is more of an intergroup conflict between the employees and the management. The employees are demanding of things such as change in their workspace and better treatment at par with any organized sector. It is an ongoing tussle between the business groups and the so called worker centers. This is causing Interorganizational conflicts. These worker centers believe that the companies are not behaving very ethically and are threatening the physiological needs of the employees and also accused them of discriminations and partialities.

2. Some potential sources of the conflicts are

- The indifferences of the business groups and the worker centers

-The modus operandi of these worker centers and they are a union but not a union at the same time. They're trying to have it both ways as the article mentions

-The accusation by the business groups to the worker centers that they act like unions and are targeting only a specific set of employers and pushing them to improve wages

-The mode of funding of the worker centers

3.The conflict management strategies being used here to manage the conflicts are:

-Avoidance: This strategy seeks to put off a conflict indefinitely. By delaying or ignoring the conflict, the avoider hopes the problem resolves itself without a confrontation in the short or the longer run

-Collaboration: It works by gaining a common ground with ideas set out by multiple people. The object is to find a creative solution acceptable to all the parties at conflict

-Compromising: The compromising strategy typically calls for both parties at conflict for a truce. It aims at rescinding the position of power in order to establish an acceptable, if not agreeable, solution. This strategy prevails most often in conflicts where the parties hold more or less equivalent positions of power. And also perhaps in this case here, its the most applicable.

4. As already discussed earlier, Compromising or Integrative Bargaining here is by far the most apt technique to be used in this case as both the parties are of equal statures and since neither is ready to step a foot back, this can lead to an impasse.

There might be many areas of interests and common resolve for both the parties here and they must explore those to come to common terms, without giving up their positions of power. Some of those could be the business side agreeing to the demands made by the worker centers as far as better treatment, salary and leave structure of immigrant and people of color workers are concerned and on the other hand the worker center could agree that they won't be going out all in at those specific business owners and restaurants in return. And if at all such a situation is faced in the future, this can be cordially dealt with in privacy rather than making a hue and cry out of it.

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