Union membership benefits and costs

    You are the human resources manager of the Springfield plant of Immense Multinational Business; the plant production employees are represented by a union, and the collective agreement has a union shop clause requiring employees in the bargaining unit to join the union and to maintain their membership in good standing. You have just hired a new production employee, Waylon Smithers, who asks you if he is required to join the union. He also asks you what benefits he may receive by becoming a union member and what the negative aspects of union membership are. How should you respond to him? Prepare a short memo outlining your response to his questions, supporting your comments with appropriate references. Discuss how you would respond to Waylon Smithers. What advice or resources would you provide to him and why?