Collective Bargaining - Labor Relations Topic: Define

Collective Bargaining - Labor Relations Topic: Define dues-collection method called "checkoff," Taft-Hartley Act. Essay Question: Define dues-collection method called "checkoff," referencing regulations Taft-Hartley Act.

The checkoff arrangements refer to those conventions between management and unions whereby the employer collects union dues from the employee's salaries and ensures that they are passed on to the union fund (Sloane, Witney, 2010). The first two advantages that come out of this arrangement is that (1) the union's institutional position is strengthened and (2) there are significant time and money benefits that derive from the fact that management handles the entire financial operation.

In terms of the latter, checkoff arrangements help both the employer and the union, particularly in those situations where employment is conditioned by belonging to the union. In these situations, the employee might have avoided to pay the dues until the last moment, which would have meant that both the union and the employer would need to start a cumbersome and costly procedure to terminate his or her contract. The checkoff arrangement thus minimizes or reduces this risk, since the money is immediately taken out of every paycheck.

Institutionally, the union is strengthened as this confirms both its position and a continuous process that involves the collection of dues. This also cements the relationship between the employer and the union in a sort of mutual beneficial dependency.

There are certainly also disadvantages when discussing the checkoff arrangement. In general, as seen, both the employer and the union have advantages with the checkoff agreement, particularly in terms of streamlining the contribution process. However, some disadvantages do occur for both parties. For example, the contribution, as stipulated with the checkoff agreement, could become a problem for the employer's recruitment policy, if the dues are fixed too high. In general, one of the disadvantages is that the checkoff agreement does not provide flexibility in the way it is structured.

The Taft-Hartley provides several important regulations for the case of checkoff arrangements. The most important one is the regulation that conditions the use of checkoff arrangements by the explicit acceptance of the employee of the fact that money will be taken from his salary and be deposited as union funds. This is a regulation that ensures that the employee is not, in any way, constrained to give money.

In practice, there are also additional means by which the employee is protected. For example, the employee has to sign a new checkoff agreement if the union dues are modified in any way. The employee is also protected, with a checkoff agreement, against any potential errors that result when unions collect the dues, such as higher dues being paid.