Unionization

Unlike other countries, American employers have much greater freedom to establish the conditions of employment. This can be attributed the extremely low rates of unionization and a legal framework that reflects the valorization of ‘free enterprise.’ While law guarantees the right to form unions, no law requires the employees to be granted a voice in their condition of employment. In addition to this, there are no statutory work council based in the united states.

The legal principle that allows employers to employ at will means that workers have no right to ongoing employment, and the employers have no legal obligation of fairness. The decentralization of most franchises has also not made it any easier for companies in the US to allow for unionization. High labor turnover in the fast food industry together with the prevalence of part time work and the youth workforce has been a major influence in discouraging unionization in this industry.

Laws

The federal and states law states the conditions of employment in the US by establishing a minimum wage, limiting the number of hours of work of children, the types of work to be conducted, as well as by regulating the establishment and conduct of collective bargain.However, employers in the united states may make decisions and establish policies without intervention of the federal and state government(Leidner, 2002 pg 6). The absence of legislation mandating many kinds of prerogatives to workers greatly enhances American employers’ freedom of action. The American law endows workers with few positive rights, and imposes minimal restrictions on the employers by stating what they cannot engage in doing. For example, issuance of benefits such as paid maternity and paternity are provided at the discretion of the Employers, for law does not mandate it. The only kind of compensation stipulated by the federal law is that requiring the employers to contribute to the retirement benefits and unemployment insurance.

Trends

Trends influence the growth of business and viz a viz employment. The expand in the amount of ladies in paid vocations implied that there was expanded family unit wage and diminished the time accessible for meal planning This fact led to the growth of fast food industries, as most families were opting to eat out. During this period, the fast food outlets more than doubled making it to be the largest and fastest rising industry.

The increase in single parent families within the states also led to the growth of the fast food. Demographic trends also influence growth of industries(Leidner, 2002 pg 7). An example is the fast food industries where the availability of teenagers and little experienced population availed the much-needed labor for the industry.

Employment Processes

Employment process in the united states has been changing with time as most organizations go the franchise way. This ensures that employers do not directly engage staff, but rather, they are employed by franchises, as evidenced in the fast food industries. The fast-food corporations set wage and benefits levels for workers in company-owned outlets, but they cannot dictate the compensation of the employees(Leidner, 2002 pg 9). Wages, and to a lesser extent fringe benefits, therefore, do vary with local labour market conditions and with franchisees’ ideas about how best to balance compensation costs and profitabilityIn any case plainly the vocation methodology pushed by the organizations is to utilize the least cost work accessible, to keep turnover inside adequate breaking points by giving laborers “distinguished” and “fun” working environment instead of expanded recompense, and to minimize the amount of specialists on any given movement(Leidner 2013, pg 22).

References

Leidner, R. (2002). Fast-food work in the United States. In R. Tony, & T. Brian, Labour Relations in the Global Fast-food Industry (p. 8). East Sussex, UK: Psychology Press.

Leidner, R. (2013). Fast Food, Fast Talk: Service Work and the Routinization of Everyday Life.Berkeley, CA: University of California.