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The development of labor unions
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The development of labor unions
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There are many reasons why people feel compelled to join a union. Often, it is for better wages and benefits, or job security, but employees are most influenced to join a union when the company is perceived to be unfair, unresponsive, or offering substandard working conditions to employees. To minimize employee dissatisfaction and keep the desire for union representation at bay, employers should have fair and consistent policies in place, open door policies, competitive pay and benefits, as well as employee trust and recognition. If employees do decide to form a union, an organizing committee will begin gathering employee information, educating employees about how the union can benefit them, and advising them of what their rights are. They …show more content…
Once a union gets signed cards from at least 30% of the employees in its targeted group, it can file a petition for representation with the NLRB - or, if a union gets more than 50% of the employees to sign authorization cards, it may present the employer with a demand for recognition of the union - however, most employers are not willing to concede (Boyce, n.d.). If an employer says no to the card check voluntary recognition of the union without an election, the labor union will continue gathering signatures of employees interested in hosting an election. Once an election petition has been filed, management is limited in what they can say and do. Labor unions secured the legal right to represent employees in their relationships with their employers when the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), passed in 1935. This put legal restraints on management that are overseen by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). Most of these restraints fall into one of the following four categories: promising, interrogating, threatening, and spying. Below are
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.
1. A union election can be held by the employer if they are willing to recognize the petition from the majority of the workers. If the employer refuses to recognize the petition for an election the petition can be workers will present their authorization cards to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). If the union is elected, they will have to represent Truman and all employees including those who are not members. If the union is elected, Righteous Apps will have to bargain over the employees overtime pay and the hours that the offices open and close.
Whilst it is evident that there is a decline in union membership, it is important to analyse why this is so and what the unions are doing to combat the downward trend. In attempting to tackle this issue, it is important to state the main objectives of a union that attract employees to join a membership and why the memberships are declining.
History shows that there has been conflict of power within the workforce between union and management. This essay will discuss if management should have the right to determine whether a union should operate within their workplace. It is necessary first to discuss the roles of unions and management in the workplace and discuss both points of view on the power distribution between unions and management in the workplace.
Why fight for justice? Justice has been a pressing issue for American citizens for years. These citizen’s rights include those which should be granted in the workplace. Labor unions have resulted from the mistreatment of employees and the unsafe or unfair working conditions, a very common occurrence during the Industrial Revolution. In an endless struggle for justice, organized labor unions fought, and continue to fight for rights deserved in working environments.
Labor Unions were created to help people improve their wages, work conditions, hours, and security. Unions impacted the world in a lot of ways and for that we have better lives now, for what they did in the past.” Some key freedoms that we take for granted today- the weekend, for example- were won by labor unions efforts, but we have always been lukewarm about the movement” (History of Labor Unions).
Labor unions were established as a way for workers’ needs and grievances to be heard by management. According to Fossum (2012), “forming a union creates a collective voice to influence change at work” (p. 7). The collective voice of workers in a union holds much more power than any single employee’s voice. It can loudly draw attention to mistreatment or abuse of workers. The organized collective voice of workers demands to be treated in a fair way by its management in terms of wages, hours, benefits, and working conditions.
The disadvantages of union membership are viewed from the employee and employer perspective. Through the employee lens, the disadvantages manifest in the form of fees, loss of autonomy, and less collaborative work environment. As part of the union, you surrender many of your individual rights in exchange for the organized results that can potentially manifest through the collective bargaining process. Therefore, there isn’t any assurance that your individual concern will even be addressed.
Unions are voluntary associations joined by workers. The Combination Act of 1800, which hindered the growth of unions, states that every workman's goal, who are entering into any combination should not be obtaining an advance of wages, or to lessen or alter the hours, or influencing any other to quit his work. Any workman who did so shall be committed to jail (Doc 1). Although the Combination Act of 1800 prevented the growth of unions, Ralph Chaplin believes that a worker should join the union. He states that there can be no power greater anywhere beneath the sun, but the unions, which makes it strong (Doc 2). Since there's so many workers working in bad conditions, the labor laws came to action.
Even though the very purpose of a union is to defend the interest of its members, the company could also use the instrument to promote the official point of views of the company’s management. In clear, the union and the management could work in good intelligence to promote the interest of worker and the interest of the company. Generally, the problem between management and union come when they one as another as an adversary and not as a partner. To be more constructive and create a working atmosphere profitable for both parties, union and company’s management need to work side by side to address real problems. Thus, worker must understand that the best job security for them comes primarily from the existence of the company and so their union should not be a mean for jeopardizing the company’s purposes. Similarly, the management must also understand that he will not achieve his annual goals unless the workers are well treated and the condition of work meet the standards set by official rules and regulations. This is a clear psychological contract between the company and it workers. The success of the company depends heavily on the respect of that psychological contract. Personally, I will play the role of a mediator between my boss and the worker who want to unionize and explain. I will clearly explain to my boss the benefit of having a union in the company and also explain to the worker the necessity to help the company increase it performance by working harder. And the union should not be a tool for undermine the efforts of the management to achieve better
Providing employees the right to select a union to act as their collective bargaining agent.
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).
Unions have an extensive history of standing up for workers. They have advocated rights of steelworkers, coal miners, clothing factory employees, teachers, health care workers, and many others. The labor movement is based on the idea that organized workers as a group have more power than individuals would have on their own. The key purpose of any union is to negotiate contracts, making sure workers are respected and fairly compensated for their work. “In theory” unions are democratic organizations, resulting in varying inner authority. Workers look for security within a job a...
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.
From the employees perspective there are many benefits as well as cons which are encompassed in the act of joining a union and maintaining such a relationship. The first of the benefits includes a somewhat increased amount of job security. In the case of a slip up, or an instance in which you may be dismissed or receive discipline, the union you are a party to will have the last say in whether this action is fair to you. This may protect you from unreasonable managers or some types of discrimination (Saez). However many types of discrimination is also covered by anti-discrimination statutes. One of the most commonly given reasons for being part of a union is the appeal of having a common bond between employees (Reader). Unions also promote a healthy, safe and friendly work environment. However this benefit is minor and redundant as much of OSHA covers this as well. Additionally, unions will bargain a contract for its members, which will generally be based upon the way that the union perceives the needs of its members (Saez). The problem with this is that it is extremely difficult for the union’s perception an employee’s individual needs to be accurate due to the union’s tendency to only. Among the items negotiated, wage is one of the most important. However minimal wage incre...