Labor Unions

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Introduction Labor unions are a heavily debated topic throughout the world, particularly in the United States (US). Even the US political system is divided on the subject; Democrats are typically strongly in support of and supported by labor unions whereas, Republicans typically favor corporate rights or free market economy. There is now hindsight prospective on the need for unions during the industrial revolution. Both sides of the argument can usually agree that working conditions were unsafe and compensation was unjust in the early history of labor unions. Many works of scholarly writing provides evidence of the need for unionization in the mid-19th century in America. The basis of today’s opposition’s argument is that unions have outgrown their usefulness and can be harmful to American businesses and the economy as a whole. The opposition’s argument has some merit and supporting evidence albeit with personal and political bias. The conclusion this paper must draw is that if it is true that there was a need for unions and that they have become impractical then there must have been a time period where the relationship between company and union was optimal. The purpose of this paper is to determine the characteristics of that optimal time period and how to achieve or recreate them. Scope Purpose of Scope The scope of the dissertation will be limited to the US. The limitation to the US is essential to limit the number of variables, or factors, that influence evidence that could contradict or convolute the conclusion. All countries throughout the world have their own culture, governments and customs that dictate labor and business practices. The countries have also developed at different rates and in different time periods. It... ... middle of paper ... ... 13-13. Isidore, C., & O'Toole, J. (2012). Hostess Brands closing for good, CNN Money. Retrieved from http://money.cnn.com/2012/11/16/news/companies/hostess-closing/ National Labor Relations Act, 29 U.S.C. § 151–169 (1935). OECD, & Visser, J. (2013). Trade Union Density: Institutional Characteristics of Trade Unions, Wage Setting, State Intervention and Social Pacts. Ozanian, M. (2013). The Most Valuable NFL Teams, Forbes. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/mikeozanian/2013/08/14/the-most-valuable-nfl-teams/ Thieblot, A. J. (2006). Perspectives on Union Corruption: Lessons from the Databases. Journal of Labor Research, 27(4), 513-536. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12122-006-1018-8 Union Privilege. (2013). The history of labor unions & fight for fairness at work. Retrieved December 5th, 2013, from http://www.unionplus.org/about/labor-unions/history-origin

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