Employee relations is concerned with assuring that each employee is treated fairly and that concerns and problems are addressed quickly. Employees are encouraged to discuss their concerns with either their supervisor or a HUMAN RESOURCES representative. The term employee relations is usually used when the organization is union-free, meaning the employees are not represented by a UNION. The term labor relations is used when specific employee groups are represented by a union. Individual union members are represented by a member called a union steward or a committee person, although employees can still discuss issues with their supervisors or human resources representatives. When a union does represent groups of employees, the wages, hours, and terms and conditions of work are negotiated jointly by union and company representatives in a process called COLLECTIVE BARGAINING. The product of collective bargaining is the CONTRACT between the company and the union. Both the employee handbook in a union-free organization and the union contract in a unionized organization contain essentially the same topics and information. In both documents the employee will find information about the rules of the organization, how to get questions answered and problems solved, the role of employee representatives, SENIORITY, wages, increases in pay, and hours of work, to list only a few considerations. The process that a union typically follows to gain legal authority to represent employees of a given location is under the regulation of the NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS BOARD (NLRB). In most instances, employees who are disgruntled over one or more issues with their current employer will contact a union representative and ask, if in the union’s opinion, there is valid cause for concern. If the union agrees with the disgruntled employees, the union estimates the number of other similarly dissatisfied employees. Frequently these dissatisfied employees will assist in the union’s organizing campaign and encourage other employemployees that union representation is needed to assure fair treatment. The purpose of this action is to project the likelihood of winning a secret-ballot election that would give the union authority to represent the employees. Like any business, before the union undertakes an organizing campaign, it wants to feel it has a good likelihood of success and that the effort will be financially worthwhile (i.e., there will be enough dues-paying members). There are three important steps that the union must achieve. First, union is to have at least 30 percent of the prospective bargaining unit (potential union members) sign authorization cards giving the union exclusive rights to represent individual employees in all matters concerning wages, hours, and terms and conditions of work. With this valid display of union support by the employees, the NLRB will conduct a secret-ballot election. Winning the election is the union’s second major hurdle; in order to win, the union must receive a simple majority of the votes cast, or 50 percent plus one of the votes cast. If the union does not receive a majority of the cast votes, then it has lost the election. Just as the union is campaigning for the employees to vote “yes” and bring the union in, the company is also vigorously campaigning for the employees to vote “no” and keep the union out. If the union wins the representation election, the third important step is for representative of the union and the company to jointly negotiate a contract. Simply winning the representation election does not mean the union represents the employees; a contract must be negotiated and ratified by the union members. After negotiating and ratifying the contract, the focus then shifts to its administration, which is often more difficult than the negotiations. John B. Abbott