The purpose of this assignment is to identify causes of labor relations failures and human resources strategies that assist with improving labor relations. You will use the Sam’s Cupcake case study, The Organizing Campaign at Sam’s Cupcake Shop Sam’s Cupcake Shop sells baked goods (croissants, cupcakes, rolls, cakes, etc.) and serves light meals such as breakfast and salads through its chain of ten small retail stores in the borough of Manhattan, in New York City. Each store is staffed with about 9 employees(plus one manager), some of whom do the cooking and some of whom staff the counter and sell the food items. As with Sam’s other stores, the Sam’s Cupcake Shop on First Avenue is staffed mostly with recent (legal) immigrants to America, all of whom are paid at or just above the minimum wage. Everything at the First Avenue store seemed to be going smoothly, but that apparent tranquility ended abruptly on July 27, 2018. That was the day that Anesha, the First Avenue store’s manager, called Taylor Brooke, Sam’s Cupcake’s human resource manager, to tell her that they had “an employee problem.”The problem, Anesha said, was that she’d heard from a few employees that the Service Employees International Union was trying to organize Sam’s Cupcake Shop employees. Taylor’s first reaction was one of caution, particularly because food service employees are historically difficult to organize—“they don’t stay it their jobs long enough to unionize them,” to paraphrase one union leader.114 Unfortunately, Anesha said she had already taken what she called “sensible steps” to blunt the unionization effort. She had, first, explained to the employees that if costs went up because they unionized, then “we’d probably have to close this shop.” She said she also promised better work schedules if they “ignored” the union, and told them they were prohibited from discussing union matters during work time. “And don’t worry,” she said to Taylor, “I’ve got a list of the employees who are pushing for the union.”The more Anesha talked, the more concerned Taylor became, not just with the union but with the possible consequences of Anesha’s efforts. She wondered particularly if Anesha’s actions could cause problems down the road for Sam’s Cupcakes with the NLRB. She didn’t have long to wait for an answer. The following week pickets from the union and its supporters appeared in front of the First Avenue store carrying signs decrying the company’s “unfair labor practices.” At that point Sam came into Taylor’s office and said“If they think they can railroad me into giving them big raises they are wrong; I am closing that store down.” Taylor was in a quandary as to how to reply to Sam, and in general, what she should do. In a short paper (500-750-word), address the following topics: Research possible business strategies leadership could have implemented to avoid the key factors that led to the unionization of Sam’s Cupcake's staff. Provide a summary of the organization’s rights and obligations during the process of unionizing and discuss the steps that leadership must take to ensure compliance. What human resources practices would you recommend to improve labor relations?
The purpose of this assignment is to identify causes of labor relations failures and human resources strategies that assist with improving labor relations.
You will use the Sam’s Cupcake case study,
The Organizing Campaign at Sam’s Cupcake Shop
Sam’s Cupcake Shop sells baked goods (croissants, cupcakes, rolls, cakes, etc.) and serves light meals such as breakfast and salads through its chain of ten small retail stores in the borough of Manhattan, in New York City. Each store is staffed with about 9 employees(plus one manager), some of whom do the cooking and some of whom staff the counter and sell the food items. As with Sam’s other stores, the Sam’s Cupcake Shop on First Avenue is staffed mostly with recent (legal) immigrants to America, all of whom are paid at or just above the minimum wage. Everything at the First Avenue store seemed to be going smoothly, but that apparent tranquility ended abruptly on July 27, 2018. That was the day that Anesha, the First Avenue store’s manager, called Taylor Brooke, Sam’s Cupcake’s human resource manager, to tell her that they had “an employee problem.”The problem, Anesha said, was that she’d heard from a few employees that the Service Employees International Union was trying to organize Sam’s Cupcake Shop employees. Taylor’s first reaction was one of caution, particularly because food service employees are historically difficult to organize—“they don’t stay it their jobs long enough to unionize them,” to paraphrase one union leader.114 Unfortunately, Anesha said she had already taken what she called “sensible steps” to blunt the unionization effort. She had, first, explained to the employees that if costs went up because they unionized, then “we’d probably have to close this shop.” She said she also promised better work schedules if they “ignored” the union, and told them they were prohibited from discussing union matters during work time. “And don’t worry,” she said to Taylor, “I’ve got a list of the employees who are pushing for the union.”The more Anesha talked, the more concerned Taylor became, not just with the union but with the possible consequences of Anesha’s efforts. She wondered particularly if Anesha’s actions could cause problems down the road for Sam’s Cupcakes with the NLRB. She didn’t have long to wait for an answer. The following week pickets from the union and its supporters appeared in front of the First Avenue store carrying signs decrying the company’s “unfair labor practices.” At that point Sam came into Taylor’s office and said“If they think they can railroad me into giving them big raises they are wrong; I am closing that store down.” Taylor was in a quandary as to how to reply to Sam, and in general, what she should do.
In a short paper (500-750-word), address the following topics:
Research possible business strategies leadership could have implemented to avoid the key factors that led to the unionization of Sam’s Cupcake's staff.
Provide a summary of the organization’s rights and obligations during the process of unionizing and discuss the steps that leadership must take to ensure compliance.
What human resources practices would you recommend to improve labor relations?
Trending now
This is a popular solution!
Step by step
Solved in 5 steps
