Unions In The Workplace: A Case Study

During this time pay was low and working conditions were very bad. People were working in factories for large companies. These issues combined to make many workers unhappy with their position in life. They wanted a much better deal for themselves and they thought that unions were a good way to achieve that. It was in this way, industrialization led to the rise of labor unions.

The issues that face workers is ever changing, in modern times a lot of the original issues seem to have been solved. Long hours, have been be replaces with mandated working hours defined by law, safety issues can be covered by OSHA, age limits again are decreed in law. Comparing modern day America to 1800’s America and the stark contrast in working conditions creates room for a strong argument opposing Unions and any tangible outcome they may produce besides lining their own pockets

There is huge jump from these feudal societies to industrial societies. All of a sudden there are assembly lines, steam engines, cotton gins, textiles, and 100,000 work units compared to 100 work units. There were lots of jobs in factories, where people worked in unsafe conditions for little pay. Children could work and get paid a lot less than adults. The union was developed to try get employees the rights they deserved, stop child labor, and gain some security in their jobs. Working in factories on an assembly line began to make workers de-skilled and replaceable. Productivity flew through the roof though with all the new machines and growing technology.

Unions were formed to protect and improve the rights of workers. Their first order of business was to establish the eight-hour workday and in 1866, the national labor union was formed. Labor movements were around before 1866, but few organized up until this point. Unions created an environment for workers with difficult tasks, creating better pay, safer work conditions, and sanitary work conditions. Unions made life better for many Americans in the private sector. Collective bargaining became the way in which employers and a group of employees reached agreements, coming to a common consensus. From 1866 to the early 1900’s Unions continued to make headways increasing membership and power. The real gains started in 1933 after several pieces of legislature, which saved banks, plantations, and farmers. The American Federation of Labor (AFL) proposed an important, and controversial, amendment to the National Industrial Recovery Act of 1933. It insisted that language from the pro-labor Norris-LaGuardia Act of 1932 be added to the simple declaration of the right to collective bargaining. The setbacks the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) suffered in Little Steel and textiles in the latter half of 1937, and in Congress from 1938 to 1940, despite the gains made by the AFL, by 1940 the amendment had stalled. WWII created a rapid buildup within the industrial complex, creating more work for women and African Americans, overshadowing the union’s inability to project their power

One of the positive aspects of unions in America is their ability to improve the working conditions of most American workers. During the Industrial Revolution, working conditions for employees became

In 1820’s labor unions were organized by their specific trade and city and then later in 1834 the National Trades Union was created to form a single centralized unit. Labor unions helped create a stronger more stable working class with a better work environment. Unions helped create unity among

Companies and Industries that were established can be known as the Gilded Age where they were blooming, but on the inside of the area of work was unsanitary, back-breaking and unattractive to the inferred perspective of the company. Labor Unions were created because the Industries were setting very unimaginable hours and poor wages which cannot support one's, family. Strikes soon became a habit during the 18th century in order to establish their right to have a more reasonable and humane working standards. Labor Unions are somewhat successful because although many of the strikes occurred and ended in a violent aftermath, generally resulted in a few major changes. Many companies that dismissed the need for strikes created oaths to prevent workers

Although Unions did not sprung overnight, they slowly grew stronger as the time went by. As

Respect plays a huge role in the spike in unions because as employers show that they’re superior to the workers', they rebel. For workers’ respect is shown in the work conditions, wages and the benefits they receive. In the Great Depression documentary, the common component for former workers who rebelled was; respect. Without respect, workers lost their motivation and lost their humanity to employers; causing them to believe they were nothing more than wage slaves. The lack of respect and unemployment allowed workers to become united and start “to organize, demanding immediate payment of the bond” (From the Jazz Age to the Uprising of the 1930s 315). Using credit as payment and bonds as money in the Roaring Twenties caused workers to lose a huge amount of money in the 30s. The effect of the bonds and credit in the 1920s impacted the economy and was the cause for workers to lose their jobs. The impact of bonds in the economy was shown in World War II, where working individuals were paid in bonds instead of money. Bonds, in the long run, could be useless and cause an uproar, eventually leading to unions fighting for the money they earned. Eventually, workers became “more numerous, better organized, more disciplined, and more successful” to get through the tragic times and fight for their voice (Who Built America 113). The Great Depression was not the only instance where workers fought for respect but World War II was also a time where workers believed they deserved more since they were working overtime. The spike in struggles for employees was proportional to the rise of them joining unions. During the Great Depression, the increase in unemployment caused workers to feel doubtful about the conditions that they were living in. While during both the Great Depression and World War II workers wanted the respect they deserved. One man pushed workers further to organize and fight and this

Only just 160-some years ago, labor unions began as an attempt to stop the atrocities that were occurring in the factories of urban cities. In those factories, working conditions were so dangerous that many workers died on the job, and when one went down, there were a dozen more to fill his spot. This was a huge problem for those who wanted safer environments because they could be easily fired and replaced. It was the courageous act of groups of men across America that showed companies that they were important. Their hard work paid off in the current work-place safety requirements we have

Unions first came about with the realization that workers were being treated unfairly, worked in

Individuals have been at work for thousands and thousands of years. Over the last century there have been many changes in the United States that protects workers in their positions and the duties they perform. There has been many changes for employers as well that protects companies and organization and offers beneficial information to keep them in compliance with changes and away from any from and form of discrimination. Over the last century there has been the organization of Unions (Bargaining Unit) in which are to protect workers in their positions, give them fair marketable pay and be the liaison between the employer and employee. Union organizations represent employees and negotiate contracts that

Legal representation for unions and employers should be highly encouraged, not mandatory. Like anything else, labor laws are evolving. In order to effectively understand these laws lawyer’s should be utilized whenever a grievance goes to arbitration. Having counsel interpret the laws and explain them in Layman’s terms gives unions and companies the opportunity to make informed decisions, without the added task of sole representation during arbitration. If either party is willing to forgo legal representation that should be their choice. As long as both parties understand they are solely responsible for not only representing themselves, but the lack of representation can ultimately affect others within their organizations. In the end,

According to Union Labor Organization (2007), the quantity of part time employees has expanded from one-fourth to a half in the previous 20 years in most created nations. There are many explanations behind working part time, including the longing to do as such, having one's hours cut back by a superiors and being not able locate an all day work as full-time job.

Congress has passed a number of laws and mandates designed to combat employment discrimination, establish healthy and safe workplaces, provide family and medical leave, give workers notice for plant closings and much more, Hunter (1999)