Informative Speech On Labor Unions

Labor union were crucial in the late 1800’s when the workers were working long hours, doing hard work, without any extra pay. Job security (could be fired at any given time) and safety precautions did not exist in this era, jobs in this day was typically a threat to the workers due to the bad working conditions. When the union was formed in 1866 it was not easy, but if the workers understood how it would benefit them it would have been a greater successes. Due to lack of education, the communication between the union and the works was broken. Some of the religious beliefs created a hardship on getting the union passed. One of the unions called the AFL (American Federation of Labor) was created in 1881 that would try to fight for workers’ rights.

Labor unions have existed in one way or another since the birth of our country in 1776. They were created in an effort to protect the working population from abuses such as sweatshops and unsafe working conditions. From the start of our Nation there were a few unions organized unions in a scattered fashion, but many were disbanded after they had achieved their goals, such as when the printers and shoemakers briefly unionized in Philadelphia and New York City in 1778 to conduct the first recorded strike for higher wages. Three years later in 1971 the first successful strike happened, when Philadelphia carpenters campaigned for a ten-hour workday. This caused the need for skilled and unskilled laborers to skyrocket during the Industrial Revolution and the Civil War and also got the ball rolling with Labor unions. At this point in our Country, there had been nothing done yet for workers’ rights, conditions, pay, and so on. People at this time saw that they could come together and do something to make their lives better for themselves and their families. Many of these dates were important in shaping our country’s labor policies into what they are today. In 1847 New Hampshire enacts as the first state to enforce a 10-hour workday law. In 1909 the International Ladies’ Garment workers’ Union calls a strike in New York, demanding a 20-percent raise and a 52-hour workweek. Within two days, more than 20,000 workers from 500 factories walk off the job. This largely successful uprising

Labor unions are a gathering of people for a united cause. People within a labor union fight for common goals such as better pay and fair working conditions. In most cases when a union attacks a certain aspect it is so they can all acquire the same out come, such as raising the minimum wage to twelve dollars an hour for all. The primary reason unions were created was because workers weren’t always treated appropriately throughout history. Industrial leaders would make maximum profit by making their employees work twelve to fifteen hour workdays for seven days a week and they would only earn pennies for each hour of work. The conditions in which employees conducted work was unsafe and unhealthy yet no one could complain because they could not afford to lose their job. This is when labor unions were introduced, at first they started off small only pertaining to a specific geological area in regards to a specific craft such as shoe making in Philadelphia. The smaller unions are known as locals, an employee affiliated with the union is then appointed as a liaison between their fellow workers and the corporation making them the shop steward. However, people realized they held power in numbers and ultimately national unions were established such as the, Knights of Labor.

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 an organization that represent a collective group of employees to protect and further theirs 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. 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 through

Labor union history began when the National Labor Union (NLU) was founded in 1866. After the creation of this union, several followed after. Many riots occurred during this time, the Haymarket Riot was one of the main reasons that the American Federation of Labor (AFL) was created. The AFL will be a major part in the labor movement in the future. Labor unions began due to the need to protect the workers. These labor unions formed to fight for reasonable hours, better pay, and safer working conditions. These stipulations that the labor unions pushed for did not come from greed. Many laborers were dying from different jobs. People were required to work 12 or more hour days, 7 days a week for such a small amount of pay. Due to the overworking of these laborers, it caused them to make mistakes. Not only were companies over working these people, they were hiring inexperienced people with little to no training. Thousands upon thousands of people died because of this. To prevent this from occurring labor unions were created to ne the barrier between a company and the workers, the unions are there to help negotiate any stipulations the workers may request. However, after the early to mid 1900’s the attendance and membership of unions declined drastically.

The role of unions and their importance has changed over the years. A mixture of poor wages, high unemployment, non-existent benefits and insignificant professional stability amongst the more youthful era makes a ready demographic for restoration. The younger era is the slightest unionized section of our general public today by a long shot. Unions are important in today’s society because checks and balances are necessary entities in business and government, so if CEOs are just focusing on themselves and profits, unions are a necessary check to all that corporate power. Today and in the future, labor unions will continue to play an important role in our country 's work force and the quality of life for working families.

Many labor unions fought for better working hours and better working conditions, but it was more than that it was a fight for basic human rights. Humans are meant to be treated with respect and sympathy. People would work twelve hours a day and seven days a week in order to obtain the money to sufficiently support their own family. Americans started to realize the cruel working hours and conditions, so many labor unions were formed to protest for better wages, hours, and working conditions. Unions like the National Labor Union, Knights of Labor, and many other strikes were formed to protest against these inhumane conditions.

Labor union is an organized association of workers, in a trade or profession, formed to protect and further their rights and interests. During the industrial revolution in Europe there was a rise in new workers without representation in the workplace. In the 19th century the industrial revolution spread to the United States from Europe, this resulted in the economy shifting to manufacturing from agriculture as an economic importance. American societies were increasing in population as well as experiencing industrial growth. This industrialization brought conflict between businesses and the labor force since mechanized production was replacing household

Why Labor Unions Are (A Short History of American Labor) Still Effective In America Today Labor, or trade, unions first started in America in 1794. They came about as a means to protect workers common interests. These labor unions were crucial in providing for fair and safe working conditions. They helped to put an end to long hours and little pay and child labor.

Unions grew out of the necessity to protect the American people during an age where a demand for unskilled labor into the workforce to provide cheap labor. This source of cheap labor came in the form of immigrants, women and children. The sheer amount of available workers made every employee expendable. This forced people to work longer hours for lower wages because there was always someone else willing

Labor unions were organizations established within companies and businesses that fought for the representation of employees on the job. A lot of labor unions weren’t specific to a certain job, but many did exclude women and black people. A prime example of this was the American Federation of Labor (AFL). The AFL was one of the most successful labor unions in the U.S. and more than 60% of their sponsored strikes were successful. The AFL lost power after a private army created by Henry Frick, a manager at Carnegie Steel’s Homestead facility, stopped the strike. As time progressed, “public opposition” to the way that employees of big businesses and factories were being treated increased, and that is what sustained the unions. Most unions had the same goals: they wanted higher wages, reasonable work hours, and less dangerous work conditions. Some labor unions also wanted to stop child labor, give health benefits, and provide aid to workers injured on the job. While most labor unions weren’t successful in getting everything that they wanted, they did get the attention of the American government and eventually things began to get better for workers. Today we have workers compensation, minimum wages, and health benefits, so we see that things did eventually get better for

The American labor union has failed in its duty to protect the employees. Currently, most of the public unions agree to the plan that every worthy benefit or wage ought to be balanced by the union’s special consideration like agreeing to a two-tier salary scale, surrendering some hours, raised copays or even deductibles for medical procedures. However, these associations have done little to fight for the workers when they are faced with salary reductions, poor pays, unwarranted cutbacks and when they are denied compensation for retirements or injuries. According to Aronowitz, the US labor movement has continued to deteriorate and lacks the voice it had some times ago. By 1990s, the labor had already decreased in intensity from the higher 35 percent membership in 1953. This is just an indication that workers have no hopes in the then merged AFL-CIO (American Federation Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations) who sought to democratize the labor movement. Their so-mediated organizing model that aimed at expanding the membership was a change of the core role of the previous service model of unionism that focused on petitioning for the members’ requests. Where the distresses may have begun earlier in the 1970s, it was not until the era of Ronald Reagan that the impact was felt. Since then, members of the labor unions have turned to be mere clients. The restructuring of the economy through technological change, and company merges, so millions of workers lose jobs. However, the

According to Dias, a union is an organization of employees that forms to negotiate or bargain with an employer (Dias, 2012). Unions are a part of our Nation’s history, allowing workers the power to negotiate wages, work hours, benefits, health and safety guidelines, training, and other work related issues, and helped to create todays labor standards. These standards include minimum wage, social security, eight-hour workday and weekends, overtime pay, the American with Disabilities Act and the Occupational Safety and Health Act. Unions help to ensure fairness in the workplace and to give a diverse workforce an equal voice.

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.

The Labor Movement was necessary to protect the common interest of workers. The state of working environments during the Industrial Revolution produced a mandate for this movement. The Industrial Revolution served as a turning point for all western nations because of the influx of businesses and factories. America generally benefited from the revolution; however, it was at the expense of the workers. Industries were only interested in profit so workers were generally underpaid, worked long hours, and in unsafe conditions. Working conditions during the revolution were generally dreadful. And since there were copious amounts of people willing to work for any compensation, employers could set wages as low as they wanted. Labor unions arose because there were many who disagreed with how big businesses ran. A prime objective of labor unions is to make sure its members are paid fairly. Labor activists believe that employees and the company share its successes and that they should be rewarded for its productivity. Labor unions want to improve working conditions for their members. They demand reasonable working days along with safe working environments. Also, labor unions provide more than just job security and safety services. These services include provision of education and training to inform union members of their employment rights and to improve their basic skills. Labor unions are a group of employees who organize to provide a balance in negotiations between management and the