Identify the stakeholders involved, and what obligations you think the company has towards those stakeholders.
Identify at least one ethical, legal, and financial consideration for the case, and the stakeholders that are most impacted by that consideration.
Propose two distinct courses of action that could be taken by Asha to address the situation.
Provide an argument for why one of the two courses of action should be chosen, using resources from at least two readings from this class to support your argument.
Identify at least one objection to your recommendation, and respond to that recommendation.
Asha Delaney is the manager of a coffee shop, located in downtown Vancouver but part of an international chain. She recently received communication from company executives about a unionization vote being held by several stores in Alberta. Only one Canadian location is currently unionized, which is also located in B.C., but more locations in both Canada and the U.S. have started holding votes. The executives express concern about this increase in union activity, citing increased costs and the creation of an antagonistic atmosphere between the company and the employees. They ask any managers who notice increased discussion of unionization or attempts to unionize at their location to notify the company executives through appropriate channels. They explain that they want to opportunity to address employee concerns directly, before a third party gets involved, so they can work together with their employees to do what is best for everyone rather than using a confrontational process that sets the workers against the company. Asha knows from past communications as well as reports in the news that the company has a history of being anti-union, fighting any attempt to unionize both by trying to convince workers not to vote in favor of the union and by fighting the ratification of union votes in court.
While working in her office later than usual one evening, with the door partly open, Asha overhears one of her newest hires talking to the current shift supervisor about how low his most recent paycheck had been. He had worked for an independent coffee shop before the pandemic, and the pay had been quite a bit higher. He also complains about how, in the months since in store seating had opened up after the COVID-19 lock downs, he feels like he has to do twice as much work with no increase in pay. With so many people in the store without masks on, he worries about losing future shifts if he has to take time off because he tests positive for COVID, but he also feels pressured to not wear a mask of his own while on shift. The supervisor says that she shares his concerns, and mentions that if the Vancouver locations follow the lead of others and unionize, they might be able to get a pay increase and better sick leave support.
Asha quietly closes her door so she can’t hear the rest of the conversation, and wonders what she should do.