Pros And Cons Of Trade Unions

Organized labor began to rise as the business tycoons and big business owners, "…took advantage of this lawless environment to build fortunes, destroy reputations, exploit both workers and the environment, and gouge consumers" (Shi &Tindall 620). Such acts by the business tycoons prompted many workers to demand higher wages, better working hours, and safer working conditions. As the turn of the 20th Century approached, factories started emerging, and technological innovations since, "The U.S. patents office, which had recorded only 276 inventions during the 1790's, registered almost 250,000 new patents in the 1890's" (Shi &Tindall 622). The inventions led to the advancement of machines in factories as they reduced labor costs, lowered the production costs of certain goods, and essentially creating a widespread mass production of goods. As most individuals began to notice, unfairness among their workplace, they included themselves in certain labor unions including the Knights of Labor (KOL), Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), and the American Federation of Labor (AFL). All three groups had different beliefs: the Knights of Labor included all members whether skilled or unskilled in their group; the AFL rejected Capitalism and focused on working conditions—as they were successful in organized labor; and lastly, the IWW strived for strong industrial unions or Unionism.

The United Steelworkers of America (USW) is primarily concerned with steel industry profit loss. Specifically, the growing number of steel exporters from different countries troubles the USW, because the increase in foreign completion reduces the American made. In addition, the USW is interested in the American government’s support for tariffs, quotas, and a combination of the two called Tariff-Rate quotas. Further these interests, the USW leveraged the votes of their members for newly elected president Bush in key election states. The major steel producing states, West Virginia and Pennsylvania, mostly won with the new president’s promise of the President to raise their issues more than the more liberal Clinton administration. Economists consider

In the early days of trade unionism, there was a direct need for workers to be represented, in areas such

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

Unions have been around for a long time. The first recorded union was in 1792, when shoemakers in Philadelphia met to consider matters of common interest. This earliest form of

The labor union movement over the years has shaped the way individuals work and live for both the nicest and unpleasant. Some would think the unions influence has created a power struggle between management and union leaders. In today’s time, some citizens insist the existence of unions are a must to aid in employee freedom, while others view the labor unions as just another problem in the line of progress. The purpose of labor unions was for employed workers to come together and collectively agree on fundamental workplace objectives. The rise of the union came about after the Civil War- responding to the industrial economy. Surprisingly at the least unions became popular within the 1930-50’s and began to slowly decrease,

The first trade union federation I’m going to discuss is the Knights of Labor. The KOL did not limit the geographic location for membership. Power was a big part of the KOL. The members that they attracted could include ones that were not satisfied with the new industrial revolution. Their goals they established included changing the current labor-management relationship

Union organization is not formed out of hallow space in a society. Trade unionism is not a system of structure which has already been developed. It is the patterns, social issues of elements, factors contributing to changing economic structure, it’s ever changing, twisting and restless experience of human striving toward a collective goals plagued by endless obstacles.

Additionally, there are also cons to labor unions as well. The cons can consist of labor unions being monopolized and can be run by cartels. They can also be exempted from taxes, which other companies believe is wrong because everyone should pay taxes to the government. I believe this is certainly an issue. No one should be exempt from taxes. Taxes are mandatory for everyone no matter what their job is. Competitors will be affected by this action as well because, while they are paying taxes, the company that does not pay taxes does not have to deal with that roadblock. Taxation should definitely not be exempt for union labors. These labor unions can also be costly not only for the employers, but to the employees as well. According to the textbook,

The rise of capitalism as the dominant economic system in the United States made the rise of unions inevitable; given the natural division between those with capital that control the means of production, and labor, who is treated simply as another factor of production (Hodson & Sullivan, 2008). While labor unions have made significant improvements to the working environment, with the regulation of safety, environment, labor and wage; labor unions have also contributed to the decline of U.S. dominance in industries like steel, automotive, education and airlines. In today’s global economy, can labor unions continue to be a force for good in the United States, or have they become harmful institutions?

Other ways that Unions have caused their own downfall, would be the disregard of woman and minorities. “Women's presence as union members, for example, falls short of their presence in the labor force as a whole, while gains in leadership have been "quite modest" in relation to gains in membership.” (Clawson & Clawson, 1999). According to Clawson and Clawson, Unions viewed social movements as something unnecessary and something to distant themselves from. Unions did not see the needs of addressing issues raised by civil rights, feminists and environment movements. (Clawson & Clawson, 1999). But in fact, they were more involved in issues which dealt with the law, such as legal rights, government regulation, new social movement and class action

Labor Unions began in the United States in the mid-late 1800’s. The first founding labor union was the National Labor Union, started in 1866. This labor union was not set on a particular type of worker and even though it did not succeed in making a difference in workers’ rights, it set an important precedent in our country. Being a part of a labor union has lots of pros and cons, as well as, because of them, the right to work movement was created.

In the U.S. labor relations, a group of employees who desire to bargain collectively rather than individually, are those who typically form a union (Dooley, 1957). This demonstrates to the employer that the majority of its employees support the union and the organizing process begins. First, employees cannot form a union without abiding by certain basic procedural steps and legal standards that are required. Decisions to vote against or for a union are based on factors such as satisfaction with their job, beliefs of the effectiveness of the union, and the culture or social environment in which the employee works. Next, when an employer exerts undue punishment to an employee who the employer suspects as being an illegal alien, this may be poor public policy. From a legal perspective, a recent federal court case, Singh v. Jutla & C.D. & R. Oil, Inc., 214 F. Supp. 2d 1056 (N.D. Cal. 2002) spoke to this issue. In this case, when the plaintiff Singh filed a wage claim under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), the employer fired him and reported him to INS as an illegal alien (Labor Law, 1969). Likewise, the union certification process which was established by the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) in 1935 was a victory for workers waning union representation upon its initial implementation. Workers could petition the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) for a determination made democratically of whether a majority of workers favored unionization (Labor Law, 1969). This effort

I will also provide a critical analysis (i.e. state the pros and cons) of each of

Individuals can be represented by trade unions when they encounter problems at work. If an employee feels that they are being unfairly treated, he or she can ask the union representative to help sort out the difficulty with the manager or employer. Apart from negotiation and representation, many other benefits can be gained by joining