Taylors Law and the Right to Strike by Public Employees Research Paper

Taylors Law and the Right to Strike by Public Employees - Research Paper Example The law states that the public employers should negotiate and enter into agreements with the unions regarding the terms and conditions of employing their employees. The law highlights the procedures to resolute collective bargaining disputes as well as defines and prohibits any improper practices conducted by public employers and union. Taylor Law strictly prohibits strikes by public employees and establishes a state agency known as the Public Employment Relations Board (PERB) that is responsible for administering the law (PERB 2013). While the statements which are asserted are not conclusive regarding the existence of such a right, there is an immediate need to inquire and determine whether a right to strike exists or not. Discussion Right to Strike by Public Employees Strikes are collective actions which are taken by workers as a means of safeguarding their interest (Swiatkowski 2005, 285). Over the last six decades, the International Labor Organization (ILO) has recognized that th ere is a positive right to strike by public employees that are inextricably interlinked to and an unavoidable consequence of the right to freedom of association (Bellace 2013, 2). According to Samuelsen (2012), the right of public employee unions to bargain collectively is being challenged aggressively by Conservative politicians and media. In the United States of America, both the Republican and Democratic Government have collectively supported the regulations (bills) that put restrictions on what unions can bargain for and have bludgeoned public workers into massive cuts. Under the impression of the freedom of association, it was witnessed quite frequently that workers joined together to demand better terms of employment from their employers. If the employer refrained from agreeing to their demands then workers usually resorted to some form of industrial actions such as strikes, boycotts or picketing in order to put pressure on the employee to meet their demands (Bellace 2013, 6-7 ). Every public employee does deserve the right to strike in order to prevent themselves from being exploited by their superior or employer. It is of utmost importance to demonstrate disagreement in situations where excessive domination is done by the employers (Lacampagne 1983, 510). Milne (2011) explains that there are five reasons why public service workers have the right to strike. The author explains that the government is trying to exploit the employees by trying to make most pay more and work longer for less even after the month’s modest concessions. The author explained that this practice is being done by the government not to fund pensions because people are living longer, but to help bail out banks by paying the deficit when an economic crisis is triggered.