| Course | HR420 Workplace Law, Labor Relations, and HR Risk Management |
|---|---|
| Unit | Unit 7 |
| Paper type | Labor relations brief |
| Length | About 840 words, 6 pages double-spaced |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Purdue University Global |
| Program | BS in Business Administration (Human Resources) |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for HR420 Unit 7
Not Unilaterally and Not Directly: A Unit 7 Labor Relations Brief on a Detail Quota During First-Contract Bargaining
[Student Name]
Purdue University Global
HR420: Workplace Law, Labor Relations, and HR Risk Management
Unit 7 Labor Relations Brief
[Instructor Name]
[Date]
Wapsi Valley Car Wash, the union and every fact are composite and illustrative; the statute and cases cited are real.
Brief to the General Manager
Question. May the company raise the daily detail quota during first-contract bargaining, and may the operations director present the change to the detailers directly?
Short answer. Not unilaterally, and not directly. The quota can be proposed at the bargaining table and changed after agreement or a genuine impasse. The director may not deal with the detailers about it outside the union.
The Stage
The facts that control the answer are these. The union became the certified representative of the site's detailers and attendants in April, less than a year ago. There is no collective bargaining agreement yet. The parties have met eleven times and have another session set for next month. Neither side has declared impasse, and both are still exchanging proposals on wages and scheduling.
Because the union was certified within the last year, its majority status cannot be challenged in this period, and the company's duty to bargain is at its strongest.
The Rules
The duty to bargain. Federal labor law treats an employer's refusal to bargain with its employees' chosen representative as an unfair labor practice, and the bargaining it requires covers pay, working hours and the remaining conditions of work (National Labor Relations Act, 2018).
Mandatory subjects. Pay, hours and the remaining conditions of work are mandatory subjects: the employer must bargain over them if the union asks (NLRB v. Wooster Division of Borg-Warner Corp., 1958). Workload, including how many cars each detailer must complete in a shift, is a term and condition of employment and falls in this group.
Unilateral change. An employer that alters a mandatory subject mid-negotiation, before agreement or impasse, breaches its duty to bargain even when it acts in good faith (NLRB v. Katz, 1962). The change itself is the violation.
Direct dealing. An employer may not bypass the union and negotiate with represented employees directly over terms of employment. Medo Photo Supply Corp. v. NLRB (1944) held that dealing with employees to induce them to abandon terms the union was seeking undermined the duty to bargain with the representative.
Application
The quota change would raise the workload of represented detailers, a mandatory subject, during active first-contract bargaining. Making it without bargaining would be a unilateral change under Katz. Presenting it to the detailers himself, and seeking their acceptance, would be direct dealing.
The quota may well be a reasonable change, but in this stage the question is not whether it is reasonable, only whether it was bargained.
What the Company Can Do
Propose the quota increase at the next session, with the data supporting it: average detail times, customer wait times and comparison with other sites. Bargain in good faith over it, including the union's counterproposals, such as fewer cars on days with heavier vehicles. If the parties reach agreement, implement it. If they reach a genuine overall impasse after good-faith bargaining, consult labor counsel before implementing anything.
What Supervisors May Still Say and Do
Supervisors may tell detailers that the company has made proposals at the table and that bargaining is continuing. They may share facts, such as the company's position as stated in bargaining, without threats or promises. They may continue to manage day-to-day work under the current twelve-car quota.
Supervisors may not tell detailers the quota is changing, ask them whether they would accept fourteen cars, promise rewards for accepting it, suggest the union is blocking improvements, or ask how anyone voted.
Why the Rule Exists
The rule against unilateral change protects the bargaining process itself. If an employer could change workload while negotiations continue, it could settle the very questions on the table without the union and leave bargaining with nothing to decide. Employees would also learn that the representative they chose cannot affect their conditions, which undermines the choice they made in the election. The rule against direct dealing protects the same thing from another side: once employees have chosen a representative, the employer speaks to them about terms through that representative.
Risks of Acting Anyway
A unilateral change would likely lead to an unfair labor practice charge. If the charge succeeded, the usual remedy would be an order to restore the twelve-car quota, bargain in good faith and post a notice to employees, and possibly to compensate detailers for any discipline based on the new quota. It would also harden the union's position at the table at the moment the company needs agreement on wages and scheduling.
A Line for the Operations Director
If detailers ask about the quota, the director can say: "Workload is part of what we are discussing with the union at the table, and nothing changes until that process is complete."
References
Medo Photo Supply Corp. v. NLRB, 321 U.S. 678 (1944).
National Labor Relations Act, 29 U.S.C. ยงยง 151-169 (2018).
NLRB v. Katz, 369 U.S. 736 (1962).
NLRB v. Wooster Division of Borg-Warner Corp., 356 U.S. 342 (1958).
The Purdue Global HR420 Unit 7 instructions
Unit 7 in HR420 asks you to write a labor relations brief answering a manager's question. State the question and give a short answer first. Establish the bargaining stage and the facts that control the answer, such as certification date, contract status and progress of negotiations. Set out the rules: the duty to bargain, mandatory subjects, unilateral change and direct dealing, with the cases that establish them. Apply the rules to the proposed action. Explain why the rules exist and what risks the employer faces if it acts anyway. List what supervisors may and may not say and do while bargaining continues, in plain language. End with a line the manager can use. About three and a half pages, written as a brief to the general manager, is common.
How this HR420 Unit 7 example is built
The sample brief poses the question and answers it in a line. A stage section sets out certification in April, eleven sessions and no impasse, with a margin note on facts before rules. The rules section cites the National Labor Relations Act, Borg-Warner on mandatory subjects, Katz on unilateral change and Medo Photo on direct dealing. Application treats the quota as workload, and the highlighted sentence separates reasonableness from bargaining. Sections explain why the rules exist, the likely remedy and what the company can propose. Plain-language lists of permitted and forbidden supervisor statements follow, with a margin note, ending with a line for the operations director.
HR420 Unit 7 rubric: what earns full points
HR420 instructors grade the labor relations brief on stage-specific analysis and usable advice. The question and short answer should come first. Establishing the bargaining stage and controlling facts earns credit because the rules depend on them. The duty to bargain, mandatory subjects, unilateral change and direct dealing should be stated accurately with cases. Application should classify the change correctly. Explaining the purpose of the rules and the risks of acting shows depth. Plain-language guidance for supervisors makes the brief useful on the floor. A ready line for the manager shows practical sense. The labor statute and the four Supreme Court cases should each be cited with reporter and year.
HR420 Unit 7 help from the desk
Many HR420 labor briefs state that employers must bargain with unions without identifying the bargaining stage. Others treat the proposed change as a management right without asking whether it is a mandatory subject. Students often miss direct dealing entirely. Cases are named without explaining what they hold. Guidance for supervisors is missing or written in legal language. Answer first, fix the stage, state each rule with its case, classify the change, apply the rules, explain their purpose and the risks, list what supervisors may say and give the manager a line. Bring the bargaining facts, and our team will draft the brief and the supervisor lines alongside you.
Get an HR420 Unit 7 example written to your instructions
Where the parties stand decides the answer, so the Unit 7 facts need to travel whole: certification, contract status and the proposed change. Include the rubric. A brief placing the parties first and advising second is returned in 24-48h, and the first sample carries no charge. The paper above is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Purdue University Global document.
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HR420 Unit 7 questions, answered
What is overall impasse?
A point in bargaining where, after good-faith negotiation, the parties are deadlocked on the agreement as a whole and further talks would be futile. Only then may an employer generally implement terms it has already offered. The example explains that impasse turns on the bargaining record, not on how many months have passed, and that the NLRB decides it on the facts.
Where can I find a free HR420 Unit 7 sample paper?
This page carries a full HR420 Unit 7 labor relations brief on raising a detail quota during first-contract bargaining at a car wash's union site.
What is direct dealing?
Bypassing a union to negotiate terms of employment directly with the employees it represents. During bargaining, the employer must deal with the union on those terms.
Is workload a mandatory subject of bargaining?
Generally yes. How much work employees must do in a shift is a term and condition of employment, so the employer must bargain over it if the union asks.
Would the answer differ at a site without a union?
Yes. With no certified representative there is no duty to bargain, so the company could change the quota subject to other laws and its own policies.