Should the Union Represent S ge Should the Union Represent Slick Willie Owe t?n

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Should the Union Represent S ge Should the Union Represent Slick Willie Owe t?n the fall of 2012 The IUW and a fairly productive, three-year contra Walleye Productions develo rative relationship from the beginning, Bot independent, believing that he never had to rely on anyone else to help him. Willie started out with the Walleye Productions plant in Walleye, Florida as a laborer 14 years ago and worked his way to a fork lift operator and then to shipping clerk. Back in 2008 dur strictly by the rules. ing the economic recession, Walleye laid off about o third of its employees, the supervisors selected employ. must be for just cause. The IUW accepted the c es who would not be laid off. There were many com pany's right to formulate reasonable rules for plaints among the more senior employees that the behavior. One of these formulated rules for company did not give consideration to their long ser-behavior was: "Being under the influence of illegal Owens had always claimed himself to be Par cooper ties have acted professionally in dealing with other. The company maintained its policy of the rules. The company agreed to and that discipline e supervisors selected employ must be for just cause. The IUW accepted the ne employee one grievance-arbitration procedure employee drugs and alcohol during working hours will be retained the ones they believed to be the hardest work for immediate termination. ers, many of whom were the youngest, even some who had just been hired. pany, instead, the supervisors On January 1, 2015, Slick Willie attended a New games. Willie Year's party to watch the football bowl In 2009, th e word got around that Walleye execu was surrounded by his old buddies who were drinkine tives had made a secret trip to Mexico to investigate beer and smoking a little marijuana. Willie knew that he having some of the manufacturing done in Mexico. had to report to work the following day but yielded to Of course, this information outraged many of the the temptation when he was offered a smoke. Since he employees who had worked for the company for had been drinking a little too much, Willie smoked a ny years. Soon afterwards, some of the more senior little too much. Knowing Walleye had a random testing employees talked about contacting a union. They con policy, Willie believed that his chances of being tested tacted the International Union Representative of the were slim. Willie was wrong. Willie was selected to be tested and Willie tested positive. The results were con- nother plant in Walleye. The Interna- firmed and Willie was terminated by the end of the day Industrial Union Workers (MUW) who represented tional Union Representative called for a meeting at the union lodge and about 40 Walleye employees Willie filed a grievance and claimed that the smok ing of marijuana was a single incident, that it was his showed up and signed union authorization cards. first offense, and that he was a long-term employee Two weeks later the IUW had 150 signatures on the with a good service record of 14 years. The company's union authorization cards. position was that the rules were reasonable, clear, and The IUW requested to be recognized, but the com communicated to all employees. Willie had tested pos pany denied recognition. The IUW then filed for a representation election with the NLRB. During the campaign in the late 2011 and early 2012, Slick Willie would without doubt be faced with itive and the company's position was that it could not make an exception for Willie because the company tinued to claim his independence, that he had made the union now. During the campaign when Willie was similar situations later and not applying the rule now would have an this far without any union, and that he didn't need effect of nullifying the rule. pproached by co-workers in the shipping department claimed that the union had a duty to represent all ba the union gets in, I don't have to join. The union still represent me. I get everything you guys get, and lie went to the union to represent him. Willie who supported the union, Willie told them: "Even if gaining unit employees and he held a job within the bargaining unit. At the next membership meet there was a backlash among the membership to I don't have to pay them one red dime. After a lively organizing campaign, the employees had said during the organizing campaign and tod chal nting Willie because they remembered w has never joined the union. The mem voted by 174 to fterwards, the IUW was successful in negotiating a here is a guy who spoke out against t 144 to be represented by the IUW. claimed that the union, never

Explanation / Answer

Question-1:

The willies argument was that if there is a union it will represent all the employees weather the employee joins union or not or whether the employees pay it or not. It is union’s responsibility to represent all the workers.

This argument was based on the NLRB rule that does not requires an individual to join an union to get represented by him unless there are rules in the company that all employees have to join union and pay certain fees.

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