The Rights Of The Labour Movement

During the late 1800’s America became involved in a large labor movement that would shape history. As America was becoming more industrialized, the need for workers increased overnight. “The workplace was changing as machines became common and the demand for unskilled workers brought new groups into the workforce including immigrants, women, and children” (Aboukhadijeh). The desperation from both employees and employers brought awareness to working conditions. Employees desired better working conditions, increased wages, and decreased working hours. Communicating with employers proved to be futile and fueled union movements. Union members would go on strike to force companies to meet their demands. Sometimes it would work and when it didn’t, companies would lock out employees and bring in new workers to do the job. These actions led to violent protests, riots, and arrests. The Pinkertons were hired as security by companies during these trying times. “Toward the end of the 19th century, the agency became more involved in labor disputes, always on the side of management” (Crawford). The Pinkertons were labeled as villains by workers as blood was shed during these conflicts.

Throughout the Twentieth Century, the evolution of workers’ rights in the workplace has drastically evolved. Through the utilization of constitutional freedoms, workers across the nation came together to support the goal of receiving fair treatment from employers when it came to wages, work conditions, and benefits. However, this wasn’t achieved without great sacrifice from the average man as standing up for their rights was a brave act that usually resulted in consequences.

The first legislation to try and weaken TU’s was the 1980 Employment Act which was targeting secondary boycotting and picketing. The Government wanted to limit the scale and scope of these activities, to individuals who were

The Labor Movement’s number one concern is to address problems associated with social inequality. The labor movement was created in order to fight for the rights of labor workers. The goal was to have better wages, safe working conditions, and reasonable working hours. Unions were formed in order to achieve this. However, this was always enough. Workers reached a point where they came together and participated in strikes which the main goal was to have their employers listen to them and come to an agreement.

Workers picketed and protested until they received their rights (Doc 4). Unions that were formed made demands for the well-being of workers. People continued

The labor movement in the United States began due to the need of the common interest of workers to protect themselves from their employers. Those who worked in the industrial sector, organized labor unions were formed to fight for better wages, reasonable hours, and safer working conditions for the employees. Understanding the history of the labor movement in the United States from the Industrial Revolution will allow for a better understanding of the purpose of the labor movement. Incorporating how the following theories: The Mainstream Economics School, The Human Resource Management School, The Industrial Relations School, and The Critical Industrial Relations School the labor issues in the early periods will allow future organizations to address issues in a more precise manner.

Workers rights is not a usual topic in this day and age. Many people say that we have crossed that hump and it is not worry because of all of the progress that we have made. This is not true, many are denied these rights. A factory in Juarez fired 90 workers who were trying to form a union to get better rights(Document F). It is not a privilege to be able to form a union, it is a right of any worker to be able to form one. The are on the forefront of achieving change in the lives of people who don’t have a voice. It is crucial for them to have one to combat factories, a factory worker described her factory as, “the factory culture oppressive and demoralizing” (Document D). This is not far for the workers who work day in and day out on a wage

individual [human] right leads to its ''balancing'' with other rights .. .for example. . . the “"free speech rights"” of employers.” This thesis shows that workers that had rights as an individual led to the balancing of other

The Tolpuddle Martyrs are a significant case in showing the increased involvement of the public in speaking against the justice system. In 1834, members of the Friendly Society of Agricultural Labourers were transported under an outdated law that prohibited the taking of oaths, when they protested for a better wage. Perhaps what brought the most sympathy for the case was the fact that their protest was peaceful, despite the history of violent protest among workers with riots and groups such as the Luddites. The authorities were equally unsympathetic to this case as they were to the other, more violent movements. Even after public interest attracted an 800,000 signature petition, protesters were oppressed at a demonstration in Oldham. The public was aware of the struggles of the poor worker, but the government still dismissed it; refusing to recognise the desperate circumstance of workers and citing greed as the motive of the Martyrs. Clearly the case had little impact on government opinions, with the treatment of the Chartists and the Rebecca Rioters later in the same decade being the same. But an important contribution of the Tolpuddle Martyrs case was the impact it had on public opinion, and the increased popularity of worker’s unions. This case might suggest that reform is unrelated to the attitudes of society at

Human rights are the right that any individual is entitled under their government, and it can be provided in divergent forms. Thus in Australia, there are no set of ‘Bill of Rights’, comparable to many other western countries that share similar legal values and standards. The American ‘Bill of Rights’ states that the government ensures the freedom of speech and religion, protection from torture and punishment, and the fair procedures of law . There has always been a great debate on whether Australian government should acquire a constitutional Bill of Rights. I believe that it is not necessary to obtain a Bill of Rights as it is not necessary for Australian legal system, and further, it can bring confusion, greater debate and litigations. There are other forms of human rights law introduced into Australian legal system which sets boundaries for the government to respect individual rights. Consequently, it proves the unnecessity for a Bill of Rights in Australia.

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,

Employers initially resisted unions as they were seen as a ‘tool of worker power’, and some countries even banned the groups all together (Baoill 2011). Although these restraints have been lifted, restrictions and guidelines have been put in place by government bodies to govern union activity; and employees internationally have the right to form unions (Baoill 2011).

The early 1900s was a time of many movements, from the cities to the rural farms; people were uniting for various causes. One of the most widespread was the labor movement, which affected people far and wide. Conditions in the nation’s workplaces were notoriously poor, but New York City fostered the worst. Factories had started out in the city’s tenements, which were extremely cramped, poorly ventilated, and thoroughly unsanitary. With the advent of skyscrapers, factories were moved out of the tenements and into slightly larger buildings, which still had terrible conditions. Workers were forced to work long hours (around 12 hours long) six hours a day, often for extremely low pay. The pay was also extremely lower for women, who made up a

Explain the purpose of employment law and how it is enforced. Describe the role played by the tribunal and courts system in enforcing employment law. Include how cases are settled before and during formal legal proceedings. (1.1, 1.2, 1.3)

Aashima Chargotra1, Nitin Chandel2, Ph.D. Research Scholar, Department of History, University of Jammu, Jammu and Kashmir, India. Nitinchandel19@gmail.com. Cellular: 9797693019