The Union Drive at Apollo Corporation - Assignment Example

Being the bridge between the management and Labor Force is by no means a pretty task. It calls for a sharp intellect a glib tongue and speedy action. A person in this strategic position could either do away with trouble or invite more trouble. The following case gives us a clear comprehension of what transpires when a problem like this occurs.

1. What, if any, violation of the law did Apollo Corporation commit?

The violation that the Apollo Corporation committed was to discharge Bob Thomas a plant maintenance engineer who had rendered his services for 19 years. In addition to this, he had meted out the only average and at times below-average annual performance appraisals during the time that he worked there. Another important point f note is that during the time Thomas had worked there, Apollo Corporation had not enforced any attendance policy and he was never disciplined for it even though his attendance had been quite poor, especially during the last 5 years prior to his termination. In fact, the attitude of showing a laid-back attitude towards their employees gave them the courage to join the union.

2. What arguments will Jean Lipski and Bob Thomas use to support their cases?
   Jean Lipski being the director for HR had a great responsibility to bridge the gap between the management and the workers. The argument she would use to support her case would be that she had been pressurized by the management to enforce HR policies and to see that the supervisory relationship with the employees was tightened and also to take disciplinary action against those not conforming to the company law. As for Bob Thomas, he was afraid of losing his job because he had already lost favor with the management because of his past conduct, so he needed to take his grievance to the Union whose support he looked forward to.

1. List things that managers should not do lest they commit unfair labor practices.

First of all, managers should act as a catalyst between the management as well as the employees in order to maintain a smooth rapport and the right equilibrium between the two.