The traditional labor organizations were challenged by an unorganized sector workers and despite modernization and advances in their respective labor markets the fish workers and self-employed woman were able to develop their own national organizations (Nayak, 2013). In the article, “Organizing the Unorganized Workers: Lessons from SEWA Experiences” Nalini Nayak (2013) seeks to describe the need for the fish workers and self-employed women to organize for a better livelihood and their communities. Lewicki, Barry, & Saunders use the term negotiation to refer to win-win situations such as those that occur when parties are trying to find a mutually acceptable solution to a complex conflict (p. 3). After reading the article, I realized that these two labor groups were being exploited and undervalued by India’s government, area companies, and the labor unions in which Nayak attempts to educate and consult with the Indian government, unions and laborers alike by describing the advantages in the labor front and capital each of the groups would bring to the economy. While many unorganized workers around the world are finding their voice through the use of technology and so labor unions are able to capture and identify the new workers in these unorganized labor markets but there are still many workers who are not recognized by the unions. Nayak (2013) explains that one of the major ways in which capital has expanded is therefore the further disorganization of labor and labor relations (pp. 402-403). A lot of the unorganized workers are self-employed or work for agents in which their goods affect the country’s gross domestic product, unfortunately their labor goes unrecognized (Nayak, 2013). Due to the workers being unorganized, the... ... middle of paper ... ...s challenging when the fundamental beliefs about what negotiation is and how it occurs are different” (Lewicki et al., 2010, p. 447). I found it difficult to comprehend that the Indian government was not able to recognize that when there is job growth the structure of the economy changes and so does the GDP; my lack of understanding of the Indian government’s culture and its political system stem from being raised in the U.S. in a democratic society and the cultural differences between our countries. Works Cited Lewicki, R. J., Barry, B., & Saunders, D. M. (2010). Negotiation (6th ed.). Boston, MA:McGraw- Hill/Irwin Nayak, N. (2013). Organizing the unorganized workers: lessons from SEWA experiences. Indian Journal of Industrial Relations, 48 (3), 402-414. Retrieved from http://go.galegroup.com/ ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA325698256&v=2.1&u=oran95108&it=r&p=AONE&sw=w
The paper will discuss minicases on ‘The White-Collar Union Organizer’ and ‘The Frustrated Labor Historians’ by Arthur A. Sloane and Fred Witney (2010), to understand the issues unions undergo in the marketplace. There is no predetermined statistical number reported of union memberships in this country. However, “the United Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) excludes almost 2 million U.S wages and salary employees, over half of whom are employed in the public sector, who are represented at their workplaces by a union but are not union members. Not being required to join a union as a condition of continued employment, these employees have for a variety of reasons chosen not to do so. Nor do the BLS estimates include union members who are currently unemployed” (Sloane & Witney, 2010, p.5). Given this important information, the examination of these minicases will provide answers to the problems unions face in organizational settings.
However, the arrival of the ‘organized’ labor movement has 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 considered to coordinate labor and work.... ... middle of paper ...
Today we see the labor reforms put in place along with organizations that hold business to safety precautions like OSHA, Occupational Safety and Health Association. Today, worker’s fight for higher minimum wage but outside of America, there are worker’s fighting for the same rights we did back in the 1900’s. Back in 2013, in Bangladesh, a series of fires occurred. This raised questions about safety and treatment of workers. Within a few months, the government allowed the garment workers to form trade unions along with a plan to raise the minimum wage. And soon after, the United States pushed for Bangladesh to improve their labor standards. All of this happened within half a year, where back in the 1900’s it took over 50 years, starting with the coal miners. Without the workers as a sturdy base for the business, the company with crumble and fall. And without those businesses to help the economy grow, the government will cease to
Fink explained that the title of her book “describes the painful and extended process by which women and ethnic minorities inserted themselves into the meatpacking workforce and redefined the struggle for recognition of workers’ rights”, (Fink, p. 3). Fink detailed that because the majority of the early meatpacking industry was centered mainly in the Midwestern cities which grew in part from receiving government help and contracts, the government then had some influence over labor in these packinghouse plants. Government regulations has strengthened the unions, improved the workers’ compensation, and “improved the conditions on their production floors”, (Fink, p.193). Furthermore, Fink also described that the entrance of Iowa Beef Packers in the 1960’s has resulted in the shift of the packinghouses from urban to rural areas which later on resulted to the government pulling away from “labor and toward business” (Fink, p. 193) which eventually weakened the union. Moreover, when the power of the union degraded, so did the incomes and the conditions of the workers on the production floor. In addition, Fink also explored how the union’s ability to represent the wage workers in the packinghouse has eroded with the admission of women in the workforce during and after the World War II. Although the union added women in the workforce, they were treated not as men’s equals and were paid cheaply less than men. Furthermore, Fink added that “Women’s position in post-World War II packinghouse continued to erode until the situation came a head with a passage of the Civil Rights of 1964” (Fink, p. 194) which was supposed to stop gender bias in employment but did not. Similarly, Fink mentioned that “contempt for women facilitated the meatpackers’ use
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.
In conclusion, the period from 1875 to 1890 brought many attempts at bettering the working conditions, but many of the working class’s attempts at being recognized went unnoticed. This resulted in violence, frustration, and unnecessary deaths. The series of failed strikes and attempts to receive government intervention resulted in heightened anger among the employees. Without an increase in wages, decrease in working hours, and improvement of working facilities, many workers left their jobs leaving the employer angry and in need of workers. None were available, however, because they were either protesting for better working conditions, signing a contract with a better company, or blocking rail and roadways in order to get their points across to the government.
... 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
Industry deregulation, amplified contest and toil mobility have made it extra hard for traditional unions to maneuver. In current decades, unions have experienced partial expansion because of transferal from "old economy" industries, which often implicated manufacturing and big companies, to lesser and medium-sized companies exterior of manufacturing. In the current past, prospective union associates have increase into a bigger number of companies. This leads to negotiating collective bargaining being difficult job, as union’s officials have to work with a bigger number of well-versed managers and most of the times have a difficult time systematizing employees. Therefore, the management ends up having the day by giving what they had brought to the table of negotiations (Greenhouse 1).
Turbulent times of a newly freed democracy bred a longing for civil liberties and birthed what would become equality for all. The United States of America, known for independence, has not always been balanced in its freedom. The labor movement in America was a significant step in developing equal opportunity. In the nation’s infancy, working conditions were abominable. Workers were underpaid, overworked, and abused. Women and children in the workforce were ubiquitous in certain industries, often earning far less than a man would. Countless laborers were injured or killed on the job, and there was no health insurance. If a worker was wounded while working, he or she would simply be replaced. As a result of the deplorable labor environment, unions
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.
Despite attempting to predict the eventual outcome of the negotiation, I did not anticipate the confrontations between Local H-56 and the management of Hotel Zinnia. Although they initially agreed to engage in integrative bargaining, the union and management subsequently entered an intense negotiation. When Local H-56 presented its proposal of wage increases and health insurance, management immediately responded with a counterproposal that surprised the union. Both the union and management eventually behaved confrontationally, accusing each other of bargaining unreasonably and focusing on the trivial aspects of the negotiation. Moreover, as the union and management felt increasingly frustrated, they suffered from a lack of unity in their teams. The union could not fulfill its objectives because its lead negotiator prevented other team members from contributing to the negotiation. On the other hand, several team members of management struggled to assert their authority as the lead negotiator. After observing these issues, I ultimately believe that the union and management failed to achieve their individual objectives. Moreover, by approaching the negotiation with a zero-sum strategy, I assert that the union and management failed to reach a mutually beneficial contract. At the same time, both sides of the bargaining table lacked cohesive teams and therefore struggled under the pressure of the negotiation.
In many nations, the relationship between labor and production has often been a tense one. On one side of the equation, businesses have insisted on greater productivity at lower costs. On the other side, labor (most often in the form of labor unions) has insisted that increased productivity can be best be achieved if the workers have a reasonable “living” wage and job security (Howard 2002).
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).
Thinking about undeclared work and grey economy, this paper brought us to the conclusion: undeclared work is a part of our everyday lives. Undeclared work is multi-faceted. It ranges for example from occasional baby-sitting work in the neighborhood to the construction of entire buildings with professionally organized network of undeclared workers. In this paper was used desk research. The case of undeclared work was analyzed using data obtained from the European Survey called “Eurobarometer” and other literature, which has led us to the following conclusions. Many studies have shown that undeclared work is associated with horrible working conditions, fewer opportunities of promotion and insufficient social protection. There are many downsides with numerous consequences which play an important role in the quality of someone’s life. Despite all known weaknesses of undeclared work, there are still many individuals who made a decision to be a part of this undeclared world. Main conclusion of this report is that every individual who works as undeclared worker or buys undeclared goods or services should be aware of the consequences that such actions bring.
Capitalism controls or enslaves the laborer by making his existence dependent on the process of production instead of the production of the labor for himself. The laborer is historically different in a capitalist society because he is separated from production. He no longer produces for himself but instead for the general wealth, or the wealth of the capitalist. Capitalism controls even the capitalist himself by turning him into a mechanism which acts as the driving force of capitalism. As a consequence, the capitalist creates a society which is alienating and brutal for the laborer. However, the domination of the capitalist system leads to the creation of a collective working group that can become a form for human development and the creation of new radical social changes.