Showing papers on "Job security published in 1984"

Job Insecurity: Toward Conceptual Clarity

Abstract: A model is presented that summarizes existing knowledge concerning job insecurity, points at its deficiencies, and identifies further research needed to understand the nature, causes, and consequences of this increasingly important phenomenon. Such knowledge is crucial because job insecurity is a key element in a positive feedback loop that accelerates organizational decline.

John Henryism and blood pressure differences among Black men: II. The role of occupational stressors.

Abstract: In this study, the effects of psychosocial job stressors on the resting blood pressure (BP) of 112 black male workers were examined. The subjects resided in a rural, poor, predominantly black community in eastern North Carolina. The job stressors included unemployment, lack of job security, lack of job success, the perception that wages earned were too low for the work performed (and inhibited anger about unfair wages), and the perception that being black had hindered chances for achieving job success. The effect-modifying influence of on-the-job social support, and John Henryism, on several of these relationships was also examined. For systolic blood pressure, a main effect was observed for job security, and an interaction effect was observed for employment status and time of day of interview. For diastolic blood pressure, significant interactions were observed for job success and John Henryism, and for job success and the perception that being black had hindered chances for achieving job success. These findings further clarify under what conditions John Henryism may be associated with higher BPs in this sample of black men. These findings also shed light on the emotional pathways through which selected job stressors may influence resting BPs in these men.

The Remaking of the Chinese Working Class, 1949-1981

Abstract: It is commonly remarked, and with obvious justification, that the working class did not make the Chinese revolution. An equally justified remark is rarely heard: that the revolution, on the contrary, has made the Chinese working class. This, baldly stated, is the major thesis of this essay. The year 1949 marked a sharp break in the continuity of Chinese working-class history. Not only did it mark the beginning of an unprecedented acceleration in the accumulation of both industrial capital and (new) industrial workers, but it ushered in the beginnings of a rapid transformation of virtually all aspects of working-class existence: the size and type of enterprises that employ workers; how workers are hired, trained, and paid; their job security, social security, and other benefits; how they find housing and buy daily necessities; and how firmly they are attached to their workplaces and the nature of this social tie.

Female employment and the social reproduction of the Puerto Rican working class.

Abstract: The rapid industrialization migration and urbanization processes in Puerto Rico since 1940 have been responsible for the increase in the rate of female employment from 22.1% in 1960 to 27.8% in 1980 while the rate of male employment has fallen. This rise in female employment is significant in an era of growing unemployment and economic crises. There is a tendency for management to prefer young single women workers over the older married or formerly married women. The former tend to be better educated work harder complain less and are likely to be burdened with household or childcare responsibilities which can lead to fatigue or even absenteism on the job. Their strong background in patriarchal rural traditions makes it easier for them to accept the authority of thier employers without question. With a knowledge that they can find other similar work the younger women are not troubled by plant problems such as production cutbacks and layoffs. Their primary concern is not job stability but money which is used for future plans which include marriage children and a new home. In contrast older women view job security as more important. Their years of being in the labor force and the sense of self worth they have acquired as a result of it tend to make them critical of authority. The contribution of working women to the household economy in Puerto Rican working class families varies with age and marital status. Older married and formerly married women carry a heavier financial burden assume a larger share of household responsibilities and are often the sole supporters of their families. Younger women usually share their responsibilities with a relatively large number of siblings. Export-led industrialization has contributed to male outmigration from Puerto Rico but as women lose their factory jobs due the factories being relocaged elsewhere as part of Operation Bootstrap women too may join the migration flows.

Collective Bargaining: The Next Twenty Years

Abstract: Collective bargaining will evolve in the next 20 years in response to the changes taking place in the world of work and union reaction to those changes. Job security will be a central issue, with increased emphasis on reducing work time to create more jobs. We also foresee more union mergers and increased inclusion in the labor movement of workers not traditionally a part of the union's constituency. That, in turn, will further erode the effectiveness of centralized bargaining. Moreover, unions will attempt to alter their traditional role as reactors to managements' unilateral actions and see themselves as partners with management. The role of the government and the courts may alter the collective bargaining process, but whether it will erode or strengthen that process is still an open question.

Observational study of job satisfaction in hospital pharmacy technicians

Abstract: Intrinsic and extrinsic factors contributing to job satisfaction of pharmacy technicians in two community hospitals were studied. A pharmacy student employed part-time as a pharmacy technician by one of the hospitals observed fellow technicians in a wide range of job activities for 22 months. In a second hospital, the same student conducted similar observations during one summer while posing as a social researcher. Both hospitals had technician training programs providing classroom instruction and on-the-job training. Data were gathered primarily from informal conversations with technicians and pharmacists and by recording activities through notetaking. Formal training programs, praise from pharmacists, opportunities to train other technicians, diversity of job activities, and autonomy in coordinating work with time demands were identified as factors contributing to job satisfaction of technicians. Negative aspects of the job that employers attempted to circumvent or clarify were the unchallenging nature of the work and the limited opportunities for advancement. Technicians' and pharmacists' attitudes toward job enrichment for technicians are discussed, and suggestions for improving technicians' intrinsic and extrinsic job satisfaction are provided. A reliable cadre of pharmacy technicians is necessary for further expansion of clinical pharmacy services under current hospital budgetary restraints. In addition to modifying job activities to promote technicians' intrinsic job satisfaction, pharmacy managers can improve extrinsic satisfaction by providing adequate salaries, job security, and flexible work schedules.

Japan's reshaping of American labor law

Abstract: This pioneering comparative study of Japanese and American labor law reveals a labor-relations system superficially resembling our own but shaped by an entirely different culture, and with a marked impact on Japan's economic success. Among Gould's findings are that the Japanese have adopted American labor law so as to create a relationship between labor and management that is lasting, harmonious, and productive; their system for dealing with job security and unfair labor practices is less confrontational than ours, their law more neutral - and it is easier in Japan for companies to share strategic information with their employees. Gould makes a number of recommendations for change in US labor law while noting that Japan also has problems and its mechanisms for dealing with conflict share many snags with their American counterparts.

A Relational Exchange Perspective on the Employment Relationship

Abstract: A considerable amount of private sector employment is concentrated in large multi-plant firms with layers of management administering an industrial relations system featuring internal job ladders, elaborate governance procedures, and complex compensation packages. The determinants of the features of employment relationships (wages versus piece rates, job security, layoff policy, etc.) and their implications (for example, the effects of wage stickiness on the level of unemployment) are currently hot research areas. My contention in this chapter is that much of the recent theorizing has been misdirected. There has been an over-emphasis on the concepts of human capital in general and specific human capital in particular.[1] There has also been an unnecessary reliance on the assumption of worker risk aversion, particularly in the principal-agent and implicit contract literature.[2] In addition, concentration on the hypothesised behaviour of utility maximizing individual workers has diverted attention from the collective action of workers.

Industrial Feudalism Reconsidered: The Effects of Unionization on Labor Mobility

Abstract: In recent years, sociologists have increasingly investigated the ways in which institutional or organizational features of the labor market constrain workers' mobility patterns throughout the economy. Building on this work, this article analyzes union effects on patterns of job mobility. It finds that the union effects vary by type of union and by type of job change, with industrial unions promoting the incidence of intrafirm occupation changes and craft unions decreasing the incidence of interoccupation moves. Apparently, unions operate to lend coherence and stability to careers by binding their members more closely to organizational and occupational structures.

Public expenditure cuts and job loss: a union response

Abstract: This article is based upon the findings of a survey which was directed at assessing the response of a public sector union to job loss amongst its members. The study was prompted by the anticipated effects on the union of cuts in public expenditure announced by Mrs. Thatcher's Government in 1979 and 1980. The purpose of the survey was, first, to investigate the processes through which job loss occurred and, secondly, to examine the ways in which the union contested those managerial decisions that affected the job security of its members. The main conclusion of the paper is that union resistance has been relatively sparse and it is suggested that this may be in part explained by the way in which job loss occurred. Of particular importance in this context is the loss of jobs through what we have called ‘job erosion’.

New Directions for American Unionism

Abstract: America's trade unions take a dual approach to advancing the interests of workers and their families This dual approach includes not only collective bargaining with employers but also renewed emphasis on representation of workers' interests in the political-legislative process In the 1980s and 1990s the American labor movement will push at the bargaining table and at the ballot box for full employment and job security, fair income distribution through wage and salary improvements and better government taxing and spending policies, adequate health and safety protections for workers and their families, protection of workers against adverse affects of technological change, better US trade policies, and a coherent national industrial policy Union mergers in the 1980s and 1990s will strengthen the ability of unions to represent workers more effectively

The computer revolution and its perceived effects on job security and expansion of the ability of engineers

Abstract: The Computer Revolution is having a tremendous impact on our lives and will probably be a very decisive factor in shaping our future. Its positive effects include the creation of new industries and improvement in the facilities for democracy, education, creativity, productivity, safety, entertainment and information. However, there are negative effects as well--for example, dehumanization, human technological obsolescence, loss of privacy, displacement and unemployment. This study focuses on the The Computer Revolution and its perceived effects on job security and expansion of the ability of engineers--the very pioneers of the revolution itself. The primary purpose of this research is to examine the prevailing state of mind of engineers concerning the impact of computers on their job security and on the expansion of their ability as engineers. To accomplish this goal, ten hypotheses were evolved and a questionnaire was designed to gather appropriate data so as to test these hypotheses. The questionnaires were sent to a random sample of 1010 engineers who are members of engineering professional institutions and/or societies in the United States with a total number of about 410,000 engineers. Fifty percent of the engineers surveyed responded to the researcher as requested. The data gathered then were analyzed by the computerized statistical analysis systems (SAS) software using Pearson Product-Moment correlation and stepwise regression analyses. The study shows that engineers in general have positive attitudes toward computers and their effects on their job security, the expansion of their ability to perform their jobs, and on the future of engineering as a profession. The data suggested that the perceived negative effects of computers appearing in this research are not related to the age of engineers and they increase as engineers increase their usage of computers; and as more computer facilities become available in organizations employing engineers. Additionally, the study revealed a positive relationship between the nearness of the time when an engineer expects his/her knowledge to become obsolete and his/her perception of threat by computers. Furthermore, as engineers become more satisfied with their choice of field within engineering and of engineering itself as a profession, they apparently perceived less threat from increased computer usage. Finally, a number of mathematical models were developed to measure the perceived effects of computers of job security, on expansion of ability and on the future of engineering as a profession.

Property Rights and Job Security: Workplace Solicitation by Nonemployee Union Organizers

Abstract: The right of self-organization granted employees by section 71 of the National Labor Relations Act2 includes a right to engage in workplace union solicitation. This activity may be limited only by the employer's managerial needs.' Indeed, employees' solicitation right is considered so essential to self-organization that they may not waive it in a collective bargaining agreement. Yet the Supreme Court, while recognizing the importance of contact between employees and union organizers for informed exercise of the right of self-organization,5 has long insisted upon separate analyses of solicitation by employee and nonemployee union organizers, and has restricted solicitation by recognizing an employer property right only in the latter context. This Note challenges the rationale underlying the doctrinal distinction between employee and nonemployee solicitation. It argues further that the nonemployee solicitation doctrine fails adequately to value employee job security, by allowing a trivial employer property claim to undermine employees' statutory right to advance their interests through selforganization. In this respect, the nonemployee solicitation doctrine limits the reach of an emerging balance between enhanced employee job security and limited employer property rights reflected in both the administration of the NLRA and the erosion of the doctrine of employment at will.

Breaking New Ground: Pension Fund Bargaining at Eastern

Abstract: Excerpt] Traditionally, unions have exercised their economic power through the strike and the boycott to gain collective bargaining agreements and through the day-to-day enforcement of contract provisions. But the rapidly growing mobility of capital and the increased rate of introducing new technologies have increasingly neutralized the effectiveness of labor's fundamental tools. Thus, it is crucial that unions begin to develop new tools to enhance the economic power of workers. This means that labor must redefine its role with respect to the economy and to the process of allocating resources in the society. Increasingly, unions are demanding plant closing protections, a voice in the introduction of new technologies, restrictions on subcontracting, commitments for reinvestment in existing facilities, and job security for current workers.

The Future Demographics of American Unionism

Abstract: Demographic changes in the next 20 years will affect labor force characteristics and workers' expectations of jobs and unions. These expectations will affect the size and strength of labor unions, union organizing and bargaining, and union political-legislative actions. A demographic look at the next 20 years indicates (1) a slowdown in population growth contributing to slow economic growth and slow growth in jobs; (2) aging of the labor force, and more concern for job security and retirement; (3) women, blacks, and Hispanic-background workers constituting bigger shares of the labor force; (4) population and job growth in the Sunbelt and in nonmetropolitan areas; and (5) declining opportunities for upward mobility for the middle-aged, baby-boom generation. These changes point to a continuing key role for labor unions in protecting and promoting the interests of working people.

Ghiselli's Self Description Inventory: Australian Versus U.S. Managers

Abstract: Ghieelli's Self Description Inventory was administered to 477 male executives in the Australian private and public sectors. Resulting scores were compared with U.S. managerial norms. Compared with their U.S. counterparts Australian managers see themselves as having less supervisory ability, less initiative, less self-assurance, less decisiveness, lower degree of masculinity, less maturity, weaker need for occupational achievement, weaker need for self-actualisation, stronger need for high financial reward and a stronger need for job security. Implications of these findings are discussed.