Under the provisions of the Taft-Hartley Act, which unfair labor practices apply to both unions and employers.Explain some of the questionable terms!

The Taft-Hartley Act gives the employees the right to form, join and assist unions and allow the unions to have bargaining power. However, certain types of conduct by the employer and the union are unfair labor practices and are not allowed (theLabor Education & Research Center University of Oregon).

Some of the unfair labor practices for employers are:

1. Section 8 (a)(1) – “to interfere with, restrain, or coerce employees in the exercise of their rights to organize and to bargain collectively” (theLabor Education & Research Center University of Oregon). This includes spying, espionage, anti union propaganda, and coercion.

2. Section 8(a)(4) - discriminate against or dismiss an employee because they testified or filed charges under the Act (theLabor Education & Research Center University of Oregon)

3. Section 8(a)(2) - to control or interfere with the employees forming a union or the management of the union or making financial contributions or supporting the union (theLabor Education & Research Center University of Oregon)

4. Section 8(e) – “to enter into a “hot-cargo” agreement with a union” (theLabor Education & Research Center University of Oregon).
Hot Cargo is defined as ” an unfair labor practice for an employer and a union to enter into any agreement, express or implied, under which an employer ceases, or refrains from, doing business wiht any other person or handling the products of any other employer, or agrees to do so (Section 8e)” (theLabor Education & Research Center University of Oregon).

“By passing the Taft-Harley Act, Congress balanced the rights and duties of labor and management in the collective bargaining arena” (Bohlander & Snell, 2010, p 618).

References
Bohlander, George & Snell, Scott. (2010). Managing Human Resources. In G. B. Snell, Managing Human Resources (p. 618). Mason: South Western-Cengage Learning.

theLabor Education & Research Center University of Oregon. (n.d.). TAFT-HARTLEY ACT. Retrieved December 20, 2009, from http://www.nalc1414.org/Taft-Hartly.pdf