The municipal employees of the Town of Cheapside don’t care much for the newly elected Mayor.
During the campaign, he stated his position that all of the town’s budget problems could be solved if union
members weren’t so greedy. He also stated that he would cut the wages and benefits of non-represented
employees who have historically received the same wages and benefits as union members. Now that he’s
been elected, he’s publicly announced that his first cost-saving measure will be to layoff as many nonrepresented employees as possible - beginning with the older, higher-paid ones.
You are Cheapside’s personnel director. You have informed the new Mayor that for months you have heard
vague mumblings and grumblings of dissatisfaction among three non-represented clerical employees in the
Town's Finance Department; you believe that they are weighing the costs and benefits of union membership
but don't know if they have taken any formal action and that his election will likely bring matters to a head. The
Mayor wants to know why these people are unhappy, what he can do to dissuade or stop them from becoming
union members, and if he can’t, can he at least force them to join an existing unit? Ideally, he would like to fire
all three employees rather than deal with their sniveling. He thinks that terminating them is a good start at
fulfilling his campaign promises and will make other employees think twice before engaging in similar attempts
to derail his efforts to balance the Town's budget.
Assume for the purposes of this assignment that the previous Mayor refused to meet with the employees or
give you the authority to address their complaints about mold in the ventilation system. Your job is to answer
the Mayor's questions, explain to him why the non-represented employees might want to organize, and advise
him on the ramifications of firing the "snivelers". You should assume that the memo is confidential and not
subject to public disclosure.
Sample Solution