With the company we work for having systematic labor violations, and I have noticed that a lot of people are complaining about work conditions and wages. Some of you have talked about that we need to fight back. For us to do that we need to organize, and come together and form a union. Here is a proposal for us to get enough people to form a union, what are responsibilities are, how unions can help. I will also explain what management can say or do, what we can do to help our overseas workers to organize. First let’s look at the union organizing process. To begin organizing a union first we need to quietly talk to co-workers to make sure they are interested in starting a union. Once we have enough interested then we need to identify …show more content…
Once we can get thirty percent of all bargaining units, we can then file a petition to the NLRB asking for them to represent us. Once we file the petition the NLRB will investigate to make sure we have thirty percent have signed the cards, NLRB will accept the petition. Then the NLRB will work-out the election process, like where it will be held, and when. Then they will hold the election and if we have the majority of workers wanting to join the union, then we will be able to form a union. Our responsibilities as workers are to get the word out and get other workers to agree to form a union. We are allowed to do this by distributing union literature, wear buttons, or solicit co-workers (NLRB, XXXX). We also have the responsibility to make sure this does not interfere with work. Make sure you are not conducting union activity on work time, because that is one thing that management can enforce on us trying to form a union. What the union can do to help labor is to increase pay, help fix or get improvements in working conditions, or increase benefits, like vacation time, health benefits, etc. For example, according to Walters & Mishel, “unions raise wages of unionized workers by roughly 20% and raise compensation” (2003). So unions play a pivotal role in taking our issues as workers and taking those issues to management to represent us. Some of the advantages of forming a union is job security since termination of an employee has to
Labor unions represent workers interests and the collective bargaining process provides a way to manage the conflict (Noe, 2003). More than ever, union employees have come to see unionizing as a way to achieve an
The first step in order to become unionized, an organizing committee needs to be formed that represents all the workers that want to be unionized. The committee needs to be educated enough to share the about the union and possible anti-union campaigns set by management. The organizing committee also has to know the different structures in the workplace, basic employee information and the employers’ information (UE 1). Step two, the organizing committee has to set up campaigns in which they will collectively determine what the “issues” are and what employees demand from the union (Carrell 136). Step three, is without a doubt the most crucial step, it determines whether a union can even come in to bargain with an employer. The employees are asked to join the union and support the union with a union recognition strategy. This is usually done with card-check also known as a card- campaign is held in which more than 50% (sizable majority) have to sign agreeing to the union being their legal bargaining unit (Carrell 136, UE 1). Step four, the union bargains with management and hopefully a union contract is
More commonly, the union will obtain authorization cards from 30% of the employees of a company. At this stage the union can now petition the National Labor Relations Board to have an election.
Local Unions promote strong unions and local leaders. They negotiate contracts and provide services to the members. They elect their own officers, coordinate their own structure and vote on their own bylaws. Joint Councils are set up with three local unions to help coordinate Teamster activities, solve problems and decide jurisdictional and judicial matters. Trade Divisions and Conferences provide information
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.
To help bring about congressional change, the National Labor Union was created in 1866 “to pressure Congress to make labor law reforms” (Library of Congress). It was composed of “national associations of unions” with “trade-printers, machinists, stone cutters” and others (American Federationist).
The union will need to engage in intra-organizational bargaining in order to reach a greater consensus as to what is essential to our workers. By going through this process away from the bargaining table, we can come to the table with a firm and unified stance. We indent to do this in a number of ways. First, we can educate workers about how in actuality, their interests are aligned because a victory for the union is a victory for all members. For example, an improved pension plan does not only benefit older workers, but also younger workers because of the precedent that this proposed pension plan will set for their future pension plans. The same is true for job security. We will ensure the workers that we as their union are their agents in their desire to improve their wages and working conditions. This emphasis on unity will increase our relative power and aid us when it comes time for zero-sum bargaining.
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
Unionism is the concept that traditionally business, especially big businesses are inherently going to exploit their employees. Therefore, in order to protect themselves, the workers form organizations called unions, in which all laborers who work at a certain craft, or in a certain industry band together. By this process of “joining forces”, the unions gain power in numbers. Unions traditionally try to protect employee interests by negotiating with employers for wages and benefits, working hours, and better working conditions.
There are many steps, rules and regulations that must occur in order to for an organized labor union. If employees of a company want to have a union represent them, they must sign authorization cards, petition for an election, hold hearings, determine the appropriate bargaining unit, and have an election to determine who will represent the employees (Holley, 2012). There are many rules to each one of these steps to be completed for the unionization to be
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 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).
Individuals have been at work for thousands and thousands of years. Over the last century there have been many changes in the United States that protects workers in their positions and the duties they perform. There has been many changes for employers as well that protects companies and organization and offers beneficial information to keep them in compliance with changes and away from any from and form of discrimination. Over the last century there has been the organization of Unions (Bargaining Unit) in which are to protect workers in their positions, give them fair marketable pay and be the liaison between the employer and employee. Union organizations represent employees and negotiate contracts that
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.