Is the country experiencing a new assertiveness by labor in its dealings with management?

The recent wave of teachers’ strikes in the U.S. suggests a more confrontational approach by workers to securing better pay, benefits and working conditions. Does this trend signal a new attitude by workers in other industries as well, such as logistics and supply chain? And is the balance of power between labor and management beginning to shift, after decades of gradually weakening unions and record corporate profits? In this third of three episodes focusing on the state of U.S. labor, we speak with Elliot Dinkin, president of Cowden Associates, Inc., a business-management consultancy with an emphasis on compensation and pension issues. In the era of social media, he says, the characteristics of labor relations and negotiations are changing. Workers are taking matters into their own hands, bypassing employers altogether, as they take their case to the public. Employers, meanwhile, are facing new competitive pressures, cost constraints, and even the prospect of recession. Who will prevail? Hosted by Bob Bowman, Managing Editor of SupplyChainBrain.

Look for a new episode of the podcast, which can be downloaded or streamed, every Friday on the SupplyChainBrain website and iTunes.

Show notes:

An article about the impact of strikes on collective bargaining agreements.