I need some insights on the following case, any help would be appreciated, thanks.
Garbage collectors (belongs to a union) in a town wants higher pay (eg 17%),but the mayor know that there is no way taxpayers will accept a settlement near that. What are some of the problem faced by both sides in such a labour dispute?
The mayor suggested 1) not hiring any more union personnel to do the job. 2) Mount newspaper advertising campaign to get the public behind them, playing on the fear of massive tax increases, then garbage collectors won’t have public support. 3) Also asking union to guarantee garbage collection for old people during a stike, playing on if they refuse, they would look bad in public.
Is the town in a strong bargaining position?
In contrast, what strengths does the union have?
If you were a labour relations consultant, would you agree on the strategy the mayor suggests? What alternative would you suggest?
