The purpose of this assignment is to identify causes of labor relations failures and human resources strategies that assist with improving labor relations. You will use the Sam’s Cupcake case study, f

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I n cid ent:

S am ’s C up cake S ho p sells b aked goods (c ro is sants , c up cakes, r o lls , c akes,

etc .) a nd serv e s lig ht m eals such as b re akfa st a nd sala d s th ro ug h it s chain

o f te n sm all r e ta il s to re s in th e b oro ug h o f M anhatta n, i n N ew Yo rk C it y .

E ach sto re is sta ffe d w it h ab out 9 em plo ye es (p lu s o ne m anag er) , s o m e o f

w ho m do th e co okin g and so m e o f w ho m sta ff th e co unte r a nd sell t h e

fo od it e m s. A s w it h S am ’s o th er s to re s, t h e S am ’s C up cake S ho p on F ir s t

A ve nue is sta ffe d m ostly w it h re cent ( le g al) im mig ra nts to A m eric a, a ll o f

w ho m are p aid at o r ju st a b ove th e m in im um wag e. E ve ry th in g at th e F ir s t

A ve nue sto re seem ed to be g oin g sm ooth ly , b ut th at a p pare nt tra nq uilit y

e nd ed ab ru p tly o n July 2 7, 2 018. T hat w as th e d ay th at A nesha, t h e F ir s t

A ve nue sto re ’s m anag er, c alle d Taylo r B ro oke, S am ’s C up cake’s hum an

re so urc e m anag er, t o te ll h er th at th ey h ad “a n em plo ye e p ro ble m .”

T he p ro ble m , A nesha said , w as th at s he’d heard fro m a fe w em plo ye es th at

th e S erv ic e E m plo ye es In te rn atio nal U nio n w as try in g to org aniz e S am ’s

C up cake S ho p em plo ye es. T aylo r’s ﬁ rs t re actio n w as o ne o f c autio n,

p artic ula rly b ecause fo od serv ic e em plo ye es are his to ric ally d iﬃ cult to

o rg aniz e — “th ey d on’t s ta y in th eir jo bs lo ng eno ug h to unio niz e th em ,” to

p ara p hra se o ne unio n le ad er. U nfo rtu nate ly , A nesha said she had alr e ad y

ta ken w hat s he calle d “s ensib le ste p s” to blu nt th e unio niz a tio n effo rt. S he

had , ﬁ rs t, e xp la in ed to her e m plo ye es th at if c o sts w ent u p because th ey

unio niz e d , t h en “w e’d pro bab ly h ave to clo se th is sho p.” S he said she als o

p ro m is ed bette r w ork sched ule s if th ey “ig no re d ” th e unio n, a nd to ld th em

th ey w ere p ro hib it e d fro m dis cussin g unio n m atte rs d urin g w ork tim e. “ A nd

d on’t w orry ” s he said to Taylo r, “ I’v e g ot a lis t o f th e em plo ye es w ho are

p ushin g fo r th e unio n.”

T he m ore A nesha ta lk ed , t h e m ore co ncern ed Taylo r b ecam e, n o t ju st w it h

th e unio n b ut w it h th e p ossib le co nseq uences o f A nesha’s effo rts . S he

w ond ere d partic ula rly if A nesha’s actio ns co uld cause p ro ble m s d ow n th e

ro ad fo r S am ’s C up cakes w it h th e N LR B.

She d id n’t h ave lo ng to w ait f o r a n answ er. T he fo llo w in g w eek p ic kets fro m

th e unio n and it s sup porte rs ap peare d in fro nt o f th e F ir s t A ve nue sto re

c arry in g sig ns d ecry in g th e co m pany’s “u nfa ir la b or p ra ctic es.” A t th at p oin t

S am cam e in to Taylo r’s o ﬃ ce and said , “ If th ey th in k th ey c an ra ilr o ad m e

in to giv in g th em big ra is es th ey a re w ro ng ; I a m clo sin g th at s to re d ow n.”

T aylo r w as in a q uand ary a s to ho w to re p ly to Sam , a nd in g enera l, w ha