Employers Treatment of Contracts
For a long time in this country unions have been fighting for workers’ rights and privileges. Even workers’ who are not unionized reap the benefits of the hard work from labor unions such as safe, healthy and fair conditions at work (AFL-CIO). Now employers are finding a way to infringe on workers’ rights again by misrepresenting employees as independent contractors. This will not go uncontested by the Change to Win organization. Unions are stepping up a campaign to get the Obama administration to crack down on companies that treat workers as independent contractors instead of employees—a practice that effectively puts tens of thousands of workers out of reach of labor organizers (Trottman, 2010). This is a major issue in the construction, health care and transportation industry. If these workers are classified as independent contractors, they will not receive the protections that they would get from the unions. Fred Potter a vice president of the Teamsters organization says, "We plan to use this report as further proof to take to the administration to say 'we know you want to help, you need to do it more quickly,". He and other union officials plan to push the government to file lawsuits and boost enforcement of relevant tax, employment and safety laws (Trottman, 2010). Obama has come out and supported stricter guidelines for employee classification. Worker misclassification does not only affect the employee’s rights but it also interferes with the governments’ inflow of tax money. Officials say what is known as "worker misclassification" costs the government billions in unpaid taxes (Trottman, 2010). Seth Harris of the Department of Labor had a great proposal to eliminate confusion about a...
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Twiddy, D. (2010). Teamsters plan update about yrc worldwide negotiations. Kansas City Business Journal , Retrieved from http://www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/stories/2010/09/20/daily35.html
Cassidy, W. (2010). Yrc teamsters approve wage, pension cuts . The Journal of Commerce Online , Retrieved from http://www.joc.com/trucking/yrc-teamsters-approve-wage-pension-cuts
Bacon, D. (1988, August 24). The ups strike - unions win when they take the offensive. Retrieved from http://dbacon.igc.org/Strikes/07ups.htm
Henderson, M. (2011). Snow plow drivers avert strike in st. louis county. Fox 21 News, Retrieved from http://www.fox21online.com/news/snow-plow-drivers-avert-strike-st-louis-county
3rd and lander teamsters poised for possible strike. (2010, February 1). Retrieved from http://www.teamsters117.org/index.cfm?zone=/unionactive/view_article.cfm&homeID=152584
Tensions between union supporters and management began mounting in the years preceding the strike. In April of 1994, the International Union led a three-week strike against major tracking companies in the freight hauling industry in attempts to stop management from creating $9 per hour part-time positions. This would only foreshadow battles to come between management and union. Later, in 1995, teamsters mounted an unprecedented national union campaign in attempts to defeat the labor-management “cooperation” scheme that UPS management tried to establish in order to weaken the union before contract talks (Witt, Wilson). This strike was distinguished from other strikes of recent years in that it was an offensive strike, not a defensive one. It was a struggle in which the union was prepared, fought over issues which it defined, and one which relied overwhelmingly on the efforts of the members themselves (http://www.igc.org/dbacon/Strikes/07ups.htm).
As companies look to expand operations and hire new employees, many economic and environmental factors are taken into consideration. The cost of labor is one of the primary concerns as labor generally constitutes a large part of company budgets. The organization of labor by unions further increases this concern. The wages of unionized workers are significantly higher than the wages of nonunion workers in almost every industry (Fossum, 2012). Higher wages generally result in reduced company profits, lower share prices, and reduced shareholder returns (Fossum, 2012). Unionization also reduces the employer’s flexibility with regards to hiring, transferring, or promoting employees (Fossum, 2012). Productivity may be negatively impacted by unionization because merit is often eliminated as a criterion for wage increases or promotions (Fossum, 2012). As a result of these negative impacts, employers are motivated to oppose unionization.
Modern democratic ideas were sprouting in America, especially within the organized labor movement from 1875 to 1900. During this period, blue-collar industrial Americans sought to abate their plight through the formal use of collective bargaining and the voice of the masses; seeking to use their strength in numbers against the pocket-heavy trusts. America’s rise in Unions can be traced back to 1792, when workers in Philadelphia formed America’s first union which instituted the avant garde method collective bargaining. It is because of these grass roots that America’s organized labor has continued to grow to this day, however not unchallenged. The challenges unions face today stem directly from the challenges faced in 1875. The organized labor movement from 1875 to 1900 is to blame for the problems unions face today as early labor unions crucified themselves politically, alienated themselves socially and failed to increase the socio-economic position of the worker, and in many cases only succeeded in worsening such positions.
...lley, W. H., Jennings, K. M., Wolters, R. S., & Mathis, R. L. (2012). Employment & Labor Relations. Mason, OH: Cengage Learning.
Throughout the history of the United States of America the continuation of misfortunes for the workforce has aggravated people to their apex, eventually leading to the development of labor unions.
As a country, we support the terms “freedom”, “equality”, and “rights”. However, we need to focus on the working citizens of the United States and ensure equal rights for everyone. The wage theft website indicates that wage theft is not stereotypical, and the issue is not primarily in specific work fields. No worker can particularly avoid wage theft, whether it’s good wages or great benefits. Wage theft is more likely to occur in non-union workplaces.
and local criminal justice systems to manage. These offenders are considered unresponsive to incarceration as a ...
... of Labor Unions in Labor Markets. In R. C. Free (Ed.), 21st Century Reference Series. 21st Century Economics (Vol. 1, pp. 163-172). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Reference. Retrieved from http://go.galegroup.com.library3.webster.edu/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CCX1700400026&v=2.1&u=edenweb_main&it=r&p=GVRL&sw=w
National Labor Relations Board v. Jones & Laughlin Steel Corp. 301 U.S. 1; 57 S. Ct. 615; 81 L. Ed. 893; 1937 U.S.
After the Civil War, many ideologies developed into the United States of America. Some of these ideologies included the free labor ideology and the producerist ideology. Free labor endorsed the belief that by removing slavery, or any other kind of barrier, everyone had an equal chance to try to get wealth (Farless). The producerist ideology tried to stay to the customary view of society and it stressed the importance of viewing the community instead of an individual (Farless). With these two ideologies, they had an impact on labor. By believing in the producerist ideology, people would be staying with tradition, and that leaves no change for our world. Many laborers wanted change, which led to problems for the laborers.
The Industrial Revolution that took place after the Civil War made for a more economically sound country. American workers, however, were becoming more and more dependent upon their wages; a fear of unemployment also stemmed from this. Workers didn’t share in the benefits that their employers reaped. In a chart representing the hours and wages of industrial workers, from 1875 to 1891, it shows that even though their wages were subtly increasing, their 10-hour work day remained the same (Doc. A). Factories were headed by large corporations; this, in turn, meant that new machines lessened the amount of workers in certain fields. As a result of these unsuitable conditions, labor unions were formed. The challenges that these unions faced weren’t easy. If the workers involved in organized labor got too far out of line, these corporations could get federal authorities involved. Moreover, these companies could enforce “ironclad oaths” upon their employees. In a Western Union Telegraph Company employee contract, in 1883, it states that the employee will not be affiliated with any societies or organizations (Doc. E). Despite such setbacks, by 1872 there were over 32 national unions.
The ethical issue in this situation is the willingness of the company’s director to prevent the employees from organizing in union. Among others, the company’s director try to use unfair tactic like diversion, intimidation, manipulation, termination of job contract and threat to shut down the company leading to massive loss of job. In an ethical standpoint, these tactics are wrong.
Unions have become commonplace in the labor arena. They provide employees with a valuable tool that allows them to stand together against their employer to make sure that their rights are upheld in the workplace. This paper will focus on labor unions with regards to how they work in two very different companies, Ford Motor Company and United Airlines. Also, a brief history will be outlined as well as legislation regarding unions.
Holley, W. H., Jennings, K. M., & Wolters, R. S. (2009). The labor relations process (9th ed.). Mason, OH: Cengage Learning.
Holley, William H, Kenneth M. Jennings, and Roger S. Wolters. The Labor Relations Process. Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning, 2012. Print.