Important Events During American Labor Union History

This article talked about the general things of the National Labor Union back in the 1800’s. It mostly talked about the negative effects of the NLU such as exclusion of women, racial prejudice, and failing to enforce the eight-hour labor law. The article did mention about groups of skilled, unskilled, and farmers were unable to share and participate in united political views unless they were intensely focused on labor union. After William Sylvis death in 1869, the NLU suffered politically and dealt with the Depression of 1873, where the NLU finally collapsed.

The labor relations movement has been one of the most successful driving forces behind such efforts as: providing aid to workers who were injured or retired, better health benefits and to stop the practice of child labor in the workforce. Ostensibly, unions in the United States arose out of the need to better protect the “common interests” of laborers. Today, many of the social movements and alliances forged are created under the guise to better protect the employer from a plethora of interests made against the organization, rather than, increasing wages, improving reasonable employment hours and/or enhancing work conditions.

See, e.g., Marion Crain & Ken Matheny, Beyond Unions, Notwithstanding Labor Law, 4 U.C. IRVINE L. REV. 561, 562–53 (2014). “Unions served as a vehicle for worker voice and political influence . . . .”

“I regard my workpeople just as I regard my machinery...When my machines get old and useless, I reject them and get new, and these people are part of my machinery” (Sands 12). A foreman at a textile mill in Fall River, Massachusetts spoke these words in possibly the worst time during American labor history, the Industrial Revolution. During the Industrial Revolution, large numbers of people in the United States flocked to work in factories where they faced long hours, unsanitary and unsafe conditions and poor wages. Labor unions, or groups of organized workers, formed in the United States to ensure workers the right to a safe workplace and a fair wage in the face of capitalistic factory owners seeking wealth. In exchange, union

     The past of Unions is indisputable; however, the outlook can be altered to form a promising future. The reversal of history can be done through reconstruction and restatement of workers rights. A reestablishment of worker liberties should be considered in order to clarify any confusion in which present and prospective employees are faced with. Unions are notorious for being tyrannical and inconsiderate towards employees and thus union heads should confront this issue head on and give workers a voice (i.e. vote). In order to regain union strength in today’s society I believe Unions must give workers honorable rights and a democratic right to be heard.

The impact that labor unions had on American industrial workers during this period was mixed at best. Most business owners in heavy industry took a hard line against unions in their factories, mills, and mines, and generally speaking, during this period, state governments, as well as the federal government, notably the courts, supported them. Indeed, it was during this period that the Sherman Antitrust Act, passed with the intent of curbing the formation of monopolies, was usually invoked to curb the formation of unions. Labor disputes often became violent, as a host of examples, including Homestead Steel, Ludlow, and the Pullman factory strikes attest. Labor unions were portrayed as un-American and radical, and the position of the federal

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.

This brief history of more than 100 years of the modern trade union movement in the United States can only touch the high spots of activity and identify the principal trends of a "century of achievement." In such a condensation of history, episodes of importance and of great human drama must necessarily be discussed far too briefly, or in some cases relegated to a mere mention.

history of the United States labor unions have been created to protect the working class from

Labor Laws help protect the workers ‘union activity by helping to define those roles of employees and management. “The major process in today’s U.S. labor relations system-organizing new unions, bargaining contracts, and resolving disputes and grievances-are not entirely legal in nature, but labor law has defined important aspects of these processes” (Budd, 2013, p. 109) This leads us to look more in-depth at three U.S laws that support the effort of collective bargaining. We will peer into the Wagner Act, as well as the Taft-Hartley Act and finally glance into the Family and Medical Leave Act.

Labor unions were established as a catalyst for change. And throughout the years many changes can be attributed to the solidarity and perseverance of those unions. However, with a declining middle class and union membership decreasing that same solidarity is now being used to help the unions fight for survival.

Divisions within trade unions were evidently an obstacle for Labour rights; however there were various other factors which could be said to have played greater roles than the divisions. It is clear that State & Federal Authorities, big business and employers and the perception of trade unions at the time also contributed to the obstacles trade unions faced to achieve Labour rights. One obstacle that was perhaps less significant than the divisions but played a part nonetheless was the perception of “organised” labour at the end of the 19th Century. American society viewed trade unions as violent and aggressive. This was due to the poor reputation they had created for themselves. A major turning point which caused this reactionary

Over the last seventy-five years labor related issues has went through a dramatic changed that affects today labor movement. During the 1930's the labor movement gained due to the abundance of labor, employers easily replaced workers. Labor unions were established in order for workers to get organized and bargain for their needs and rights. These unions were created because it was known that groups have more power in bargaining than individuals. "When large groups of employees make joint decisions, employers are forced to listen to their concerns. For example, if all the workers in a factory stopped working at the same time, it would be difficult to keep the company operating. Early unions in North America faced a difficult battle. Employers refused to accept the unions. The courts often declared the unions illegal. The National Labor Relations Act of 1935 and other laws required employers to bargain with unions. Political parties and other groups have also become involved with the labor movement" (Labor Movement). Understanding the legal ramifications involved both with and without a union is a necessity for all human resource professionals. I will address the differences and similarities in employee relations approaches in both types of environments. In addition reviewing key aspects of labor relations law and the collective bargaining process, I will address the purpose of the Labor Relations Act and what it provides for workers.

Labor relations are concerned with the learning and management practices of unionized situations of employment. However, in the circles of academia, labor relations get classified as a subarea of industrial relations, even though researchers from numerous disciplines also study labor movements and labor unions. Nevertheless, in practice, labor relations get classified as a subarea in the management of human resource. Therefore, the courses in labor relations characteristically look into the history of labor, labor regulation, and organization of union, bargaining, administration of contract, as well as, any contemporary topics that are significant. In the U.S., the labor relations of the private sector get regulated through the Act of the National Labor Relations. On the other hand, the labor relations of the public sector gets regulated through the Act of the Civil Service Reform that was introduced in the year 1978, along with the appliance of a series of state pieces of legislation (Fossum, 2012).

The historical context of the relationship between labor and management began in the 1700’s but was not prevalent till the industrial revolution. Unions have been dated further back, but they didn’t become widespread until this period. At one point there was an increase in movement of specialist’s workers moving from the country into urban regions, which prompted an increase in the need for work and competition between manufacturing and processing plants. During this time, there were few to no laws protecting the workers from organizations cutting workers, expenses or even regarding taking care of their labor force. The businesses terminated workers often for them pursuing unions. Of the many unions during the time, one major union was the Knights of Labor. This union worked to establish political activities and hold assertions with business’s on behalf of the specialist. Labor unions often are unpredictable and can fluctuate due to their inward structure and processes (History, 2014).