Teamsters 728 Union History

Coming from a family that relies on unions has greatly influenced my outlook on life. I was raised believing that being in a union was the best option, and this is what I truly think. My father and step father are both union stewards. My dad works for AT&T and has belonged to IBEW Local 21 for almost 21 years now. My step dad has been a part of Laborers Local 477 for 11 years. About three years ago, he became a correctional officer where he joined FOP and AFSCME in addition to the Laborer’s. Growing up around these two men has empowered me to fight for what I believe in both in work, school, and in life.

In August 1997, the 190 000 teamsters employed at UPS went on strike for 15 days before agreeing to a new five year contract. The strike cost UPS $700million

In this chapter, it is mentioned that the United Auto Workers (UAW) was one of the largest unions in the United States, but it seems like it has been declining in the last couple of years. The traumas experienced by the auto industries in 2008-2009 required the UAW to make major concessions to help Ford, DaimlerChrysler, and GM survive. I think that the UAW hasn’t been successful in its attempts to unionize U.S. workers employed at Toyota, Nissan, and Honda plants because these employees are convinced that the benefits they are receiving are pretty good and that the union wouldn’t do any better. For example, Toyota, Nissan, and Honda plant employees feel like they are earning satisfactory wages, have adequate benefits, have satisfactory

From the end of the second world war, and up until the 1970’s trade unionism was continually growing. By 1979, 57.3% of all people employed were members of trade unions.

The Teamsters Union derived from a group of people who fought for the freedoms most Americans do not appreciate today. They stood together to develop the American Dream to start union and labor movement. This advancement helped the working and living standards for the people of America, gaining privileges and rights within their communities and families. Teamsters has the most strength and diverse labor union in North America. The group began by connecting two leading team driver associations in 1903. Team Driver’s International was the original name, then becoming the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, and years later going by The Teamsters Union. They were the sturdiness of economic growth in America, but needed to come together to seize their participation with corporations tending to be more self-concerned. The Teamsters Union still has the same goals and tactics today. They are striving for change on global labor and trade, state and living wages, the United States Labor alone, and social justice.

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.

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

I have to say that my relationship with my union is new and it means a great deal to me and my wife. I have long since been a hard and dedicated working piece of the American economy. I started as a young man mowing grass at a boys club in Savannah, Ga in exchange for mowing the grass I was able to be a part of the Boys club and my parents did not have to pay for me to be able to go there after school and during the summer which was great because between my dad and step mother there was five of us kids and for middle class family of seven to be able to have great amenities plus finding that extra money to pay for after school actives was no easy task so I worked for that. I then grew up and in my teenage years I worked fast food while in High school. I worked at a three in one restaurant it was a Taco Bell, KFC, Pizza Hut and it was unionized. However this was my first small union experience and it was not the ideal first experience that myself of anyone

     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.

Throughout American history, labor unions have served to facilitate mediation between workers and employers. Workers seek to negotiate with employers for more control over their labor and its fruits. “A labor union can best be defined as an organization that exists for the purpose of representing its members to their employers regarding wages and terms and conditions of employment” (Hunter). Labor unions’ principal objectives are to increase wages, shorten work days, achieve greater benefits, and improve working conditions. Despite these goals, the early years of union formation were characterized by difficulties (Hunter).

Labor Unions: Aging Dinosaur or Sleeping Giant? The Labor Movement and Unionism Background and Brief History Higher wages! Shorter workdays! Better working conditions! These famous words echoed throughout the United States beginning in “1790 with the skilled craftsmen” (Dessler, 1997, p. 544). For the last two-hundred years, workers of all trades have been fighting for their rights and “seeking methods of improving their living standards, working conditions, and job security” (Boone, 1996,p.287). As time went by, these individuals came to the conclusion that if they work together collectively, they would grow stronger to get responses to their demands. This inspired into what we know today as labor unions. “A labor union

Union members believed these unions would be able to benefit workers throughout the nation. However, these unions were rarely ever able to exert any significant amount of power. There were few exception such as the Knights of Labor, who fought for higher wages and less working hours, and at one point claimed to have over 700,000 members. The ASL was also a big labor union, which not only called for a change in wages ad hours but also focused on protecting the livelihood of skilled worker.

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.

The United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America, UBCJA, is a labor union that advocates for worker rights. Founded in 1881, Peter J. McGuire and Gustav created the union in response to the lack of worker right laws in place. Since then, the union has grown substantially in size but still, lobbies for workers’ rights. The union lobbies for issues on a regional and national level. They have endorsed and contributed finically to presidential candidates. They have also endorsed and contributed finically to congressional candidates across party lines who they believe will help fight for worker rights. The union also provides several services to its members such as training, a pension fund, and welfare. The UBCJA has long fought for workers

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.