What you need to know working in railways

Employer-employee relation is another name for industrial relations in the academic world. It is a system of communication between the employer and the employee, which seeks to maintain and develop work productivity, motivation and morale.

Contrary to common misconception, employer-employee relation is not limited to underlying unions or collective bargaining issues but also covers over-all employee management and the employee’s relationship towards his employer, i. e., the boss.

Employer-employee relation is governed by existing labor laws, related jurisprudence and administrative rules and regulations on the matter.

Labor laws on the other hand consist of federal law, state law and judicial decisions.

The laws are primarily focused oh the relationship between employers and employee who, for practical reasons, group themselves into union for more effective bargaining power. Employees are granted by these laws the right to unionize, picket and strike while employers are granted the right to seek injunction and lockouts.

In the US, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) hears relationship disputes between the employer and the employee or their union. It is also the NLRB, which determines which union will represent an employees’ unit.

But for those whose employer-employee relations are not governed by the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), NLRB cannot exercise jurisdiction over them. However, they may bring their disputes for resolution under other federal and state laws.

For those who belong to the railway and airline industries, their employer-employee relations are governed not by the NLRA but by the Railway Labor Act.

For public employees in federal government agencies, their relations are governed by the Federal Labor Relations Authority.

To those who have been taken advantage by their employers, they may invoke the provision of the law. Issues that usually arise out of this employer-employee relationship include, but not limited to, the following:

• Hours of work

• Overtime pay

• Benefits

• Working conditions

In the State of California, the employer-employee relations between the state and the employees are specifically dealt with under the California Government Code. The law seeks to promote full communication between the state and its employees by providing a reasonable method of resolving disputes regarding:

• Wages

• Hours or work

• Other terms and conditions of employment

The law also promotes the improvement of personnel management and employer-employee relations within the State of California by providing a uniform basis to recognize the right of state employees in joining organizations of their own choosing and to be represented by those organizations in their employment relations with the state.

Some of the counties in California follow suit by having their own employer-employee relations policy or rules and regulations to govern the relations between the county and its employees. Some of them include the counties of San Mateo, Solano, San Joaquin and Humboldt County.