A union is an organised group of workers whose aim is to protect their members and improve their employment conditions. The Australian Bureau of Statistics found that in August 2012, 20% of full time employees and 14% of part time employees were members of unions. Although this data shows a decrease in union membership over the last decade or so, the unions are still a very important part of the workplace. In Australia, it is illegal for an employer to fire a worker for being a member of a union, and they are unable to prevent workers from joining a union (Trade Unions 2012). In the same respect, management cannot force employees to join unions or treat their staff unfairly for belonging to a union (Fair Work Ombudsman 2013). This essay …show more content…
al 2001). Employers initially resisted unions as they were seen as a ‘tool of worker power’, and some countries even banned the groups all together (Baoill 2011). Although these restraints have been lifted, restrictions and guidelines have been put in place by government bodies to govern union activity; and employees internationally have the right to form unions (Baoill 2011). Being part of a union gives members the benefit of negotiating with their employer collectively, as part of a group; giving them more power than if they were to negotiate as individuals (Silverman, n.d.). Overall, unions demand fairness which can lead to the unions influencing and changing ‘managerial decision-making at the workplace level’ for decisions in which employees are affected (Verma 2005). Unions are also beneficial to have present in the workplace because their bargaining of better condition will often benefit non-members as the conditions negotiated with management are implemented across the organization with no regard to membership status. Management is also able to avoid union disagreement by benchmarking conditions to that of an already unionized workplace. If management were to control union operation within the workplace, unions could be eradicated all together as they pose a threat to management being able to make all decisions affecting the workers using their managerial prerogative. The absence of
Dan Swiney stated in his 2005 interview “The low road is where somebody thinks of their immediate self-interest in solving their particular problem no matter what it costs to somebody else.” When either a business or labor union think of their self-interest and think of no regards to what it could do, it hurts the other. This makes neither organization come out in the end looking better than the other, it does the exact opposite. On page 225 in chapter 9 of section 1 it states “Benefits now make up 30 percent of workers’ compensation. This adds up to a large cost for employers – especially since benefits like health insurance are becoming expensive.” If labor unions made the compromise of paying 50/50 for fringe benefits then businesses could have that extra 20 percent to help labor unions or help the business that will in turn benefit the employees. In the cartoon in the unit 3 essay warmup it states “Gentlemen, nothing stands in the way of a final accord except that management wants profit maximization and the union wants moola.” By having both organizations negotiate and try to reach a conclusion they both feel is fair they achieve their goal of making money and in turn the business can benefit by having productive workers and
Unions were created with the everyday worker in mind, an opposite to the previous mindset where the employer ruled his employee and the employee had no recourse. Unions helped pave the way for many of the current rights we have in place for American workers today; such as the length of the workday and weekly hours, child labor laws, minimum salary requirements, workers compensation and safe working conditions. With so much advancement in the American workforce because of Unions, it is interesting that there is a steady decline in Union membership in America. There are many factors that contribute to the decline, such as change in workforce, outsourcing jobs, right to work states, economic interests and political
Our responsibilities as workers are to get the word out and get other workers to agree to form a union. We are allowed to do this by distributing union literature, wear buttons, or solicit co-workers (NLRB, XXXX). We also have the responsibility to make sure this does not interfere with work. Make sure you are not conducting union activity on work time, because that is one thing that management can enforce on us trying to form a union.
Let’s imagine the world without labor unions, over the past decade there has been a decline within the union. Only 11 percent of Americans belong to labor unions with another 6 percent belonging to private sectors. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the future of the labor union. There are different factors included in the future of the unions. The structure and actions of unions and their effect on the global marketplace. Over the years it has been very important to shape the union 's future and the affects the union have on companies, management, and employees. “Lastly, we will deliberate the different challenges multi-national companies must prepare for in order to successfully compete in a future global business
Unions allow workers to fight for what they believe in, gives them a chance to have a vote and a voice and to protests against the things that are not fair. The flip side of this is that workers can be out of work; if they picket or protest for days, weeks or months until some agreement is reached if any.
The members of the union are mainly workers in the specified field who are affected by the stated rights. This is simply because one cannot protect something that does not involve or affect them
Unions have played a big role in protecting employees, but we have come a long way from the lessons we have learned of the past situations. In the 19th century the US became a new world for immigrants to produce a new life, working conditions required hard work, fighting, long hours for little pay, but most importantly, the unsafe conditions and manual labor that was bestowed upon these workers. This created labors to start a union, but there have been some major issues that ended badly such as the Haymarket riot, the homestead strike, and the Pullman strike, but it took these problems to form a better working conditions for the labor’s. We have learned from the past that employers try to get away with such acts, that laws
A Union Shop is an employer who is able to hire new employees on the the condition that these new-hires will join organized unions within a specified time. The unions, which are an organized group of workers, have the ability to impact wages, workings hours, benefits, and other work-related issues. However, with membership comes the requirement of dues paid for by the employees as well as the collective movement of all members to partake in strikes, and/or protests. Unions have made great strides in the workforce, specificially in response to the social and economic impact of the industrial revolution.
In the past decades, unions have stood to fall by the wayside, due to the contributing factor of the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). They do not adapt to external factors, such as competition and productivity in the global economy. These factors are a problem for unionism by themselves. The current state of the NLRA has magnified their effect.
Lastly, unions improve working conditions and rights of the employees. In the past, workers had to go through harsh working conditions such as dangerous workplace and long hours of shift with a low wage. With having the unions around, they were able to improve these problems. When a demand isn’t met, a unionized worker can tell the union their issue’s and the union will handle it by talking with the employers. Most often the rights of the employees aren’t really protected because the employers take advantage of them. “Research has shown convincingly that unions have played a significant role in enforcing these laws and ensuring that workers are protected… Unions make a substantial and measurable difference in the implementation of labor laws.
Studies were done using the same worker to eliminate individual qualities of the worker such as skill so that the results would show a direct correlation between unionization and wage increase. These studies that were conducted show that the same worker’s wages increase on average ten percent when they take a unionized job. Along with these studies, more recent specific group research showed that the wage difference is somewhere between 8 and 12 percent. However, there was a Canadian Study, which specifically examined whether this percent change in wages was actually due to unionization, or whether some of it came from immeasurable human skills. This study showed that having more valuable skills accounted for over three fifths of the higher wages, not from the union itself. This means that the difference between union and non-union wages almost has nothing to do with unions themselves, which shows that they are not needed and hurt the
The topic of labor unions has been the focus of many political debates in recent years, with these discussions having people advocate for and against the unions. Labor unions are organizations that represent a collective group of employees to protect and further their rights and interests. Labor unions were first introduced in the eighteenth century with increasing numbers around the United States and the world, but unfortunately during the past decade, these numbers have drastically decreased. Resulting in less education and achievement of solidarity among employees and companies. Solidarity is the unity or agreement of feeling or action, especially among individuals with a common interest. Workers in the United States would benefit more
Unions are important because most businesses put their attention on generating profits at the expense of staff. The nature of work in America is evolving. Employers are trying to do everything they can to get rid of the obligation of providing health insurance, good pension coverage, reasonable work hours and job safety protections. This is not in all markets, but it does happen more frequently than most would imagine. As an alternative, businesses are making employees' jobs and incomes less secure through cutting hours to part time, downsizing, contracting out and sending operations overseas for completing. Now more than ever, every day, working class individuals need the shared voice and negotiating power unions deliver to keep companies from making work places look as it did in the
Every member has the right to meet with other members to express any perspectives, contentions, or ideas. Union members have the right to bring any suit or organizational proceeding whether it is against the union or its officers or to show up as a witness or correspond with lawmakers may not be constrained by the union. A union may not fine, suspend, or expel a member aside from default of dues unless it first serves the member with a written list of charges, gives a sensible time to prepare a defense, and allows a full and fair
Unions are very important to have in a company because it allows the employees to acknowledge their rights within the workplace, and also protects them from the employers. Unions help employees have job security and better wages, as well as better benefits. There are a few disadvantages however of having a union. The disadvantages are the dues that have to be paid, and also there are fewer rewards given based on