You are a plant manager for a manufacturing company. For years, the firm's low-wage workers have complained about their pay and general working conditions. They have presented the you (plant manager) with a list of demands and have signed a petition supporting their demands as well as threatened to quit if their demands are not met. The plant manager knows the following:
- Another low-wage manufacturer in the area is about to close down
- The corporation that owns the manufacturing company is about to implement a reduction strategy
- General employment rates are also growing
The plant manager has two choices. One is to meet with all of the workers, inform them of the things that he or she knows, and advise them to back off their demands. The other choice is to do nothing and see what happens. This may result in some (but not all) of the workers quitting.
Questions for discussion;
- What are the ethical issues in this situation?
- What are the basic arguments for each course of action?
- What do you think most managers would do? What would you do?