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. The political crucifiction of the early blue-collar industrial worker was directly caused by organized labor. Before such ‘organization, existed, workers flew under the political radar in the best of ways. They were allowed to live peaceful lives and given the unalienable right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. In fact, the commodore Andrew Carnegie had achieved the American dream in his rags to riches advancement and he offered the same opportunity for each of his workers. However, the arrival of the ‘organized’ labor movement drowned the worker’s chance at mobility. A cursory run through central terms of the question begs us to answer what is considered “organized” and “labor”. Organized can be... ... middle of paper ... ... were left unprotected and abandoned by the unions. How is it that the unions can demand labors lose months of wages, be subject to labor blacklisting and ultimately sacrifice their lives without any protections for the strikers and still claim success? They can’t. If anything, the Pinkertons who dispersed the crowd did more to help the worker, by reopening the Homestead, than the union had done. Thus, the unions were an utter failure in furthering the position of the laborer, as the laborer was better off before hand. Before unions the laborer had their life, as many died in failed strikes, and their dignity, as society at least held an intrinsic value in their lives. However, unions succeeded in decimating any chance of advancement by tarnishing the reputations of all laborers, leading to a direct decline in the socio-economic position of the blue-collar worker.
To conclude this analysis on the basis of the labor’s extensive history, Sloane & Witney (2010) propose, “it is entirely possible that labor’s remarkable staying power has been because of the simple fact that to many workers, from the nineteenth century to the present, there really has been no acceptable substitute for collective bargaining as a means of maintaining and improving employment conditions” (p.80). In the end, it is important to anticipate unions and employers presently work together to find solutions that will enhance collective bargaining strategies and practices to serve the interest of both parties.
In the late nineteenth century, many European immigrants traveled to the United States in search of a better life and good fortune. The unskilled industries of the Eastern United States eagerly employed these men who were willing to work long hours for low wages just to earn their food and board. Among the most heavily recruiting industries were the railroads and the steel mills of Western Pennsylvania. Particularly in the steel mills, the working conditions for these immigrants were very dangerous. Many men lost their lives to these giant steel-making machines. The immigrants suffered the most and also worked the most hours for the least amount of money. Living conditions were also poor, and often these immigrants would barely have enough money and time to do anything but work, eat, and sleep. There was also a continuous struggle between the workers and the owners of the mills, the capitalists. The capitalists were a very small, elite group of rich men who held most of the wealth in their industries. Strikes broke out often, some ending in violence and death. Many workers had no political freedom or even a voice in the company that employed them. However, through all of these hardships, the immigrants continued their struggle for a better life.
The union labor movement blossomed early in the century, as membership grew from 2.0 million members in 1910 to 18.0 million members in 1953. However, by 1980 membership was only slightly higher at 20.0 million members. During that time, membership growth was relatively consistent in that it never really declined a significant amount. After 1980, union membership began to decline sharply. In 1985 membership was already back down to 18 million members and by 1990, the number of union members was hovering near 16 million members. As a percentage of the total employment in the economy, unions grew from only 13% in 1935 to 32% in 1953 and have fallen steadily since 1955. In 1980, labor union roles had decreased to 23% and by 1990, the figure had shrunk ev...
...elped to widen the rift between rich and poor. Farmers, who were once self-employed, were rapidly becoming factory workers. In 1860 half the nation was self-employed, but by 1900 two-thirds were dependent on wages. This trend caused the rapid urbanization of America, which brought out some issues. Wages were rising, so it was good to be working, but with dependent wages the workers we’re susceptible to economic downturns. The workplace also became much less personable as people began to move to factory jobs. New machines would often displace workers, and individual workers had little power to fight for their rights against the industries. There was always a fear of unemployment, and reformers struggled to protect wages and have provisions for temporary unemployment. As more people moved to the cities and the corporations grew, social rifts became larger and larger.
By the end of 1933, the effects of the Great Depression began to shift public opinion toward the rights of workers, and enlivened the efforts of unions working for collective action to ensure those rights. As a report before Congress in 1942 explained, Legislation such as the National Industrial Recovery Act emboldened these unions to explore the “potentialities of a protected right to bargain collectively” and, in the context of this potential, the “all but defunct” International Longshoremen’s Association renewed their activity and “met with immediate success.” On the West coast, the ILA gained scores of new members and even extended membership to include “checkers, seniors, weighers, lumber handlers, grainmen, and warehousemen employed on the waterfront.”[1]
The history of capitalism is replete with examples of the need for labor unions, however in industries where labor unions were powerful, they helped to cause the decline of U.S. dominance. While there may be a case for the continued existence of labor unions, measures should be taken to limit the power of labor unions in any single industry , to prevent them from becoming institutions that are harmful to the workers they seek to defend.
... have had to decide which capitalistic hierarchy to work in, and many of these workers spend their entire lives in hierarchically organized jobs (223). Unions give workers some freedom from the hierarchy, but today finding a job is not so much about making labor contracts with your equals as it is about saving yourself from unemployment and competing with equally qualified laborers for the same job, often for a company within which you neither have a vested interest nor a share in its profits. Only approximately 12% of the workers in the United States are unionized, yet a substantial number of unions could revolutionize worker influence in capitalism (215). The stress of labor conflict must have gotten to the point where workers have given up their hope for fair labor practices, or else they have settled for less. There is no place for Norma Rae in these work places.
Factories were known for their ill treatment of their employees, long hours and dirty and unsafe conditions. In 1866, unions started to form to improve working conditions for the workers. A fundamental problem faced by democratic societies is as long as people live their lives individually and go their separate ways and be selfish individuals, they are unlikely to meet collectively to resolve issues. There needs to be meaningful unity among people to alleviate this problem to get people obliged to one another, so there is a willingness to sacrifice for shared goals. Bonding of its citizens creates a democracy. Unions seemed to offer the middle class a chance to become a crucial part of fostering institutions of constitutional democracy. The unions have went through several transitions, but have always worked for the working force. I will discuss the history of the various unions, their wins and losses, and the struggle of the employee to achieve democracy in the workplace.
Many American laborers were communists and thus became targets of the American government (Schrecker, 94). Left-led unions were under attack. The 1947 Taft-Harley Act made it so that union officials had to sign a noncommunist affidavit (Schrecker, 95). Unions are based on unity and a common form of regulation for employers. So, the anti-communist fear oppressed the power and influence of unions. The 1949 CIO convention expelled important left-led unions such as the United Electric Radio and Machine Workers of America (UE). This hurt workers, as unions no longer represented them. I find it problematic and troublesome that the federal government would go to such lengths to protect capitalism. The communist witch-hunt ruined so many individual careers and organizations such as the
LABOR UNION, LAUNCHED IN 1866, AND THE KNIGHTS OF LABOR, WHICH REACHED ITS ZENITH IN THE MID-1880S. ON THEIR FACE, THESE REFORM MOVEMENTS MIGHT HAVE SEEMED AT ODDS WITH TRADE UNIONISM, AIMING AS THEY DID AT THE COOPERATIVE COMMONWEALTH RATHER THAN A HIGHER WAGE, APPEALING BROADLY TO ALL "PRODUCERS" RATHER THAN STRICTLY TO WAGEWORKERS, AND ESCHEWING THE TRADE UNION RELIANCE ON THE STRIKE AND BOYCOTT. BUT CONTEMPORARIES SAW NO CONTRADICTION: TRADE UNIONISM TENDED TO THE WORKERS'' IMMEDIATE NEEDS, LABOR REFORM TO THEIR HIGHER HOPES. THE TWO WERE HELD TO BE STRANDS OF A SINGLE MOVEMENT, ROOTED IN A COMMON WORKING-CLASS CONSTITUENCY AND TO SOME DEGREE SHARING A COMMON
The project outlines the powerful impact of the Pullman Car Company worker’s rebellion on the modern labor force across the nation and worldwide. George M. Pullman’s employees were subject to a strict, controlled society centered around the Pullman train car industry. They not only worked in his facilities, but were also encouraged, more accurately they were forced, to live in a special town created by their employer. In this town, Pullman maintained control over their living conditions. He provided amenities and, most importantly, commanded the cost of rent. Pullman had successfully created a civilization in which he maintained total authority over his worker’s lives, economically and socially. Unfortunately, leaving the rights of the workers
National labor unions was form in the United States in the mid-19th century just after the industrial revolution (Wiki, 2015). Organized mass productions of products and goods in factories changed the way people worked, as smaller businesses formed larger companies and independent owners became part of the working class. Organizational structuring, the development of hierarchy of employees can create inequalities within a workplace due to politics and greed. Owners, managers and those who make decisions to steer a company can often times fall into the trap of voracity and forget about front line worker’s well-being, working conditions, and of course income inequality. Unions were most important during the industrial revolution because there
Employee–Employer relations have been rigid since the beginning of time. For this reason, laborers started labor unions to rectify the problem. Labor unions, are associations of workers for the purpose of improving economic status through collective bargaining, formed out of the Industrial Revolution of the 19th Century (Labor). Collective bargaining is defined as the negotiation between the representatives of organized workers and their employer(s) to determine wages, hours, rules, and working conditions. The conditions under which these former farmers had to work were unbearable. The farmer got tired of the treatment and banded to together. Labor unions sprouted in the US around the 1830’s; however, the first major group was the Knights of Labor that organized in 1869 (Labor).
The utilization of unions, strikes, and boycotting all demonstrated the anger and unsatisfied lives of the majority of the working class in the late 19th century. They all demonstrated the fact that change was needed, and whether it was successful or not, it pushed employers to face the reality of the conditions the poor working class faces every
The laws and regulations surrounding Industrial Relations since the 1900’s have, at each reform, placed tighter constraints on the amount of power unions are able to exert. The reforms have also radically increased managerial prerogative, through an increased use of individual bargaining, contracts and restrictions imposed on unions (Bray and Waring, 2006). Bray and W...