WAGES AND BENEFITS2
Question 1
Yes, prerogatives of large unions at the national or local level should take higher priority
when negotiating new agreements with employers. Large unions need to use their rights or
privileges at local and international level to negotiate new contracts with employers because the
rights and privileges serve as the power vested in them to protect workers (Lesson notes). In
most cases, when unions enter negotiations and bargaining, they represent employees with the
clear aim of creating equality and fairness at work. On the same note, when unions negotiate new
contracts with employers, they just want to make sure that employees entering the new contracts
are happy with both working conditions and pay. Therefore, prerogatives of unions at the
national or local level should always take higher priority when negotiating new contracts.
Question 2
In my opinion, sometimes, the rules concerning the use of lockouts and strikes are
balanced and fair between unions and employers. First of all, in most cases, when employees go
on a strike, they are frustrated with pay and working conditions. Strikes serve as a wake-up call
to employers to reconsider their management and respect rights as well as privileges of
employees. On the other hand, employers initiate lockouts in case they feel employees are
demanding more privilegesthan employers can provide or employees are unfairly striking instead
of considering the services they provide to the general public (Fossum, 2015). Also, in my
opinion, I think that neither unions nor employers have stronger leverage with respect to strikes
and lockouts because they are both on the losing side whenever strikes and lockouts happen
during labor disputes. During strikes, employers close down their organizations and institutions
