Decline of the Union

Labor unions have been around since the birth of our country. Labor unions were a way to protect Americans from working at dangerous factories or sweatshops. Before any labor unions working was horrible for the people. Anything that could have went bad for them did. They had horrible wages they were lucky if they had enough to eat an occasional meal. Also they mostly never got any break working 15-18 hour shifts. The labor unions were put into effect to protect the common interest of workers and to give them better wages, reasonable hours and safer working conditions..The labor unions were put into effect to protect the common interest of workers and to give them better wages, reasonable hours and safer working conditions.

“Today, as social, economic and demographic realities emerge all over the world, and come to a head in places like Wisconsin and Michigan and Greece, unions are struggling to survive” (Hodin, 2012). There are several ways were unions can remain applicable, vibrant components of the 21st century if they can help workers craft longer, and more productive

Unions grew in size with the manufacturing sector, the industrial age in America. When most of the business owners did not care about the front line worker just about the bottom line. Workers lost fingers, limbs, and even lives. At this point and time the worker needed someone on their side someone who would have their best interest in mind. They organized and created specific unions to protect their jobs, wages, and personal well-being. Historically speaking, “The labor movement in the United States grew out of the need to protect the common interest of workers. For those in the industrial sector, organized labor unions fought for better wages, reasonable hours and safer working conditions. The labor movement led efforts to stop child labor, give health benefits and provide aid to workers who were injured or retired.” (“Labor Movement”) This shows how and why the unions were created and

Unions are incentivized for mobilizing citizens to engage in politics. Some join unions to gain employment. Most union members do not have prior political experience. Once they become a member, this begins to change as the union will teach the members political skills. Unions attempt to change the political identities of their members. One way they do this is by exposing their members to pro-labor situations. (Kerrissey, J., & Schofer, E., 2013) Unions are a partisan interest group that is in cooperation with the Democratic Party. This is as a result of the fact that Democrats are pro-labor and labor is the most important part of a union.

To understand the worth of today’s unions, we must first understand the history and purpose of these organizations. Simply put, a union is an organization of employees formed to bargain with the employer. There are many types of unions. For instance, a craft union is one whose members do one type of work, often using specialized skills and training. An industrial union is one that includes many persons working in the same industry or company, regardless of jobs held. A federation is a group of autonomous national and international unions (Mathis 529). The main purpose of all these organizations is to secure benefits and rights in the workplace. The history of unions in the United States dates

If unions grew to a point to where they were strong enough, it was only then that the unions and the workers they represented would go on the offensive and demand pay raises. This all came together with the passing of the National Labor Relations Act of 1935 which guarantees basic rights of private sector employees to organize into trade unions, engage in collective bargaining for better terms and conditions at work, and take collective action including strike if necessary. The act also created the National Labor Relations Board, which conducts elections that can require employers to engage in collective bargaining with labor unions (also known as trade

In your post you focus on the idea that unions are not readily available now based on our current economy, however there still is a need or want for such organizations. There definitely has been a decline in unions that can be related to a number of factors, but the need for them probably still does exist. Many large corporations fought viciously to portray unions in a negative light and to highlight their shortcomings. In 2003, I witnessed a four month long strike by union grocery workers in Southern California (Jordan, 2004). With over 70,000 union members representing 900 grocery stores, the impact was significant. Eventually both sides would come to an agreement after consumers lost interest in supporting the strike. In the end, employees won better health care benefits, but lost some wage protections.

abor unions have always had a very different conception of the workplace. According to labor unions, workers deserve a say in the conditions of their labor because the right of workers to organize in their own self- interest is a basic human right. Danger in jobs is what prompted labor unions to fight, they believed workers should be treated fairly and be paid enough to live in comfort and dignity. In the early 19th century, workers couldn’t speak up because they were likely to be fired and easily replaced by someone else desperate for a job, which is why labor unions, such as the American Federation of Labor, grew during the Second Industrial Revolution. As industrialization continued making workplaces larger, the relationship between employees and employers became less personal, causing workers to lose power and respect; this is when the membership of labor unions grew noticeably. These unions profoundly impacted American society by fighting for fair labor conditions, earning national acknowledgement, and to convince the government to pass legislations.

“In 1900, 18 percent of all American workers were under the age of 16” (Yellowitz, http://www.history.com/topics/child-labor). For years people have gone back and forth on whether or not labor unions are actually beneficial to workers or if unions are harmful to the economy. Labor unions first started popping up as early as 1794 and started catching on in the 1880s with the introduction of The Knights of Labor. (Staff, http://www.history.com/topics/knights-of-labor) Unions grew in response to terrible working conditions, long hours, zero benefits, very low wages, and child labor. The opponents of labor unions were around even before then. When the industrial age began and people started moving to the cities, many employers took advantage of the high numbers of people in search for work and treated them more as numbers and expendable machines than people. The workers maybe got enough to live on after working for most of the day, everyday, for most of their lives. Even the children had to work those same hours instead of enjoying their childhood. The flip side to all of that is that the economy expanded and there were many people who got rich through that system. Overall, labor unions were extremely beneficial not only to American workers but also to the American economy because they improved working conditions, eliminated child labor, and because the more money workers received, the more money they spent and put back into the economy.

Unions in the past, and unions today are more different,but still the same in many ways today.In the past unions were made to achieve to goals for higher wages,benefits,and power. Unions were made as a response to industrialization,unions grew rapidly in the 1930s-1950s.Today unions are still in existance to make sure that the union goals back then are still upheld.

Unions have a way of having pros and cons, which working in the union is either good or bad. Not everyone likes or supports the union, but there are those who demand to have a job in the union. Over the times of history, unions were very big but have started to decrease in time. If you work in a job setting that might be a manufacturing job or government job it’s good to have the union supporting you. You don’t always think the union will have your back but never underestimate that you job is secure, which having a union job or not, your chances of losing a job is always possible. After working in a position that was a union job, I can agree to some facts that the unions are good for representing you, but sometimes

According to Merriam Webster’s dictionary, a labor union is an organization of workers formed for the purpose of advancing its members' interests in respect to wages, benefits, and working conditions. With elected representatives in respected places, union reps negotiate labor contracts and disputes with employers. Labor unions have had an effect of American history from the time they became popular. Prior to the 1800’s, there were few unions in the United States. Most Americans worked as craftsmen or owned a

A major topic that comes up with unions is getting better wages for the employees. This is one of the main reasons that unions came to be. Workers of all fields were tired of being paid unfairly by big companies. They realized that they needed a way to organize themselves to fight for better pay. Unions helped aid in this fight. According to History.com, “ The formation of the Federal Society of Journeymen Cordwainers (shoemakers) in Philadelphia in 1794 marks the beginning of sustained trade union organization among American workers.” This was the first time workers tried to organize themselves to get more money for what they did. A key way that unions used workers to make businesses meet their demands was organized strikes. With these organized strikes, the big companies had to comply with some of the demands to raise the employee 's wage, or it would cost them more money in the long run. Strikes are a very powerful tool that unions have used often in the past. Unions orchestrated the strikes in the past pretty well, and the majority of strikes accomplished the goal they were trying to complete. Unions have always fought with companies to give the workers the pay they deserve.

Unions are used by human workers to advocate and provide a voice to themselves individually and to the working class as a whole, this can be seen in the following quote from Coulter; “Workers created unions to gain a collective voice at work, a formal for defending and advancing their rights, and a means to protect and promote the interests not only of individual workers, but also of working-class people more broadly” (pg. 124). Unions work as the workers elect local executives which became a sort of point people or leaders that collaborate, collect unions dues and provide services to the unions members, which include; dealing with grievances, training and education opportunities and to provide a overall strong sense of community and trust

A labor union refers to a group of workers who have come together to pursue work-related goals. Unions protect employees from being exploited by powerful employers by giving them a platform to voice their grievances (Dibben et al., 2011). Unions provide a number of services to their members, such as giving legal advice and leadership training, and negotiating with employers with respect to the terms and conditions of employment. They can be organized into craft unions representing workers in the same profession with the same skills or industrial unions representing workers from the same industry. Collective bargaining refers to the process by which management and union representatives attempt to bargain in good faith to reach a mutually acceptable agreement.