Labor Unions

1839 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Labor unions past present

Labor Unions

Labor unions are groups or clubs of workers and employees who bond together to get good working conditions, fair pay, and fair hours for their labor. For example, in a newspaper, all the people who work the presses might all belong to one union. All of the artists, who are responsible for the artistic layout, might belong to another. These unions are usually joined together, and most unions in America are some branch of the largest labor union organization in the United States, the AFL-CIO. The unions of the workers at a certain business or factory might get together with the management for a period of time to talk about a contract. This time is known as negotiation. The union will tell the management what it wants its workers getting paid, and then the management will tell the union what it can pay the workers and still be earning a reasonable profit. They bargain and it usually works out. Most businesses and corporations have eight-hour work days, with optional extra hours. This is not usually a topic in negotiations, but could be. Working conditions could be discussed. If workers in the factory have no heat, no lunch breaks or they are not allowed to speak, (which was the case in many sweatshops for immigrants and children in the 1920's through 1940's), then the labor unions will obviously want something done.
These differences are usually settled fairly quickly, and a new contract featuring these agreements will be realized . Most contracts are in operation for about 3 to 5 years. Then, negotiations begin again. This is how labor- management relations go in a perfect world.
But, obviously, this is not always the case. Sometimes the unions want unrealistic wages. They might stress extreme luxuries that the company cannot provide for working conditions. Or the management may be stubborn and unwilling to give up a large percentage of the profit in a good year. Or maybe both sides are seemingly in the right and an agreement can not be met. Whatever the case maybe, after the set negotiation has been passed, and a contract has not been created, then the union will go to the workers tell them the situation, and they will vote in a strike.
The unions purpose in the strike is to stop the company or factory from caring out their purpose of existence. If they a...

... middle of paper ...

... of strikes from a different view, the infamous 1994 Major League Baseball Strike comes to mind. The salary caps caused the players to simply walk off the job. No violent riots or picketing was necessary: most players went and played golf. This was because of two things: they were already rich by most peoples standards, and they were desperately needed by the owners, because baseball is a hard business to find replacements .
The owners tried, though, but failed. Although public disgust ran high at the
"spoiled" baseball players, the union did not waver, and the owners gave in, and the next season baseball was back.
Labor unions all started out as a small idea when a few workers shared their ideas that they did not like the way management was running things. They formed a union and threatened the management by walking off the job. This was a new idea then, but today it is commonplace. The big worry is among the heads of big business who are resorting to downsizing to raise profit. The future of labor unions is unclear, but it seems to be a colorful one.

Bibliography

1. The Detroit News and Free Press.
Saturday, February 15, 1997; Front page

Show More
Related

  • GMFC: Planning for a Union-Free Plant

    1815 Words  | 4 Pages

    The case study of GMFC provides an example of a company attempting to avoid unionization of its workers. GMFC is expanding by building a new U.S. plant which will manufacture motorized recreational equipment. The company plans to hire about 500 production workers to assemble mechanical components, fabricate fiberglass body parts, and assemble the final products. In order to avoid the expected union campaign by the United Automobile Workers (UAW) to organize its workers, GMFC must implement specific strategies to keep the new plant union-free. GMFC’s planning committee offers suggestions with regards to the plant’s size, location, staffing, wages and benefits, and other employee relations issues in order to defend the company against the negative effects of unionization and increase...

    Read More

  • The Pros And Cons Of Unionization Initiatives

    881 Words  | 2 Pages

    According to the textbook, labor union are “group of individuals working together to achieve shared job-related goals” (P.331) . Mainly these shared job-related goals could be need for salary/wages increase,

    Read More

  • Labor Unions and Effects on the Lives of Factory Workers

    667 Words  | 2 Pages

    Organized labor, during the period from 1875-1900, had drastic effects on the lives of factory workers. Labor unions not only sought to improve working conditions; they wanted to have a large impact on society as a whole as well. These unions also altered feelings toward organized labor.

    Read More

  • U.S. Labor History

    1343 Words  | 3 Pages

    This means that a group of workers can unite to gain more power and leverage in bargaining. The bargaining process may include many aspects but usually consists of wages, benefits, terms and conditions of employment. The notion of union came about in the 1700's. In the beginning, as it is today, workers united to "defend the autonomy and dignity of the craftsman against the growing power of the company" (Montgomery). These early unions had many names including societies, social societies and guilds.

    Read More

  • Reconstruction After the Civil War

    1850 Words  | 4 Pages

    against their employers, employees were able to go on strike and prove a point. Some

    Read More

  • Why Do Labor Unions Matter?

    1610 Words  | 4 Pages

    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...

    Read More

  • Labor Union

    681 Words  | 2 Pages

    During the Gilded Age activists tried improving the conditions of workers and the poor in many ways. In a few ways they were moderately successful but mostly philanthropists didn’t succeed. Between 1875 and 1900 the organized labor, overall, didn’t improve the position of the workers, making them unsuccessful.

    Read More

  • American Exceptionalism: A Good Concept -- but a False Idea

    711 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Bald Eagle soars across the land of the free, the strong, of beauty, and with longevity. It watches and caws as it calls for small, broken-wing pigeons if they need some help. He can fly high, but there is a limit to how high one can fly even for one of the greatest birds in existence. Once he reaches his breaking point, there is no going farther. He either stays there or flies lower. If he goes up more than he is supposed to, then he will crash and burn. The point here is that the Bald Eagle represents the United States of America, meanwhile the small, broken-wing pigeons represent the people in countries that are in need of assistance, such as Afghanistan and Israel. The United States can definitely take a huge part to helping others throughout the world, but there is a very fine limit that they can go. Although the US is very powerful, democratic, and influential, that does not make America exceptional. There is a difference between nationalism and American exceptionalism, with American exceptionalism being quite a narcissistic view. America, alone, does not have the moral responsibility to help the world through leadership and guidance, otherwise they would be dragged down. Basically, the entire world has this moral responsibility, therefore making all countries either “exceptional” or all being “non-exceptional”, which makes American exceptionalism an invalid concept.

    Read More

  • The Evolution of American Exceptionalism

    716 Words  | 2 Pages

    The meaning of American exceptionalism has evolved, but the era of American exceptionalism as a providential mission is drawing to a close.

    Read More

  • The History of Labor Unions

    1247 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Positive Effects Of American Exceptionalism

    861 Words  | 2 Pages

    Exceptionalism of a country is the idea that it holds different, more ethical decisions, than all the other countries through time. Some believe the great experiment of america is one of these great exceptions. However, slavery, the industrial revolution, and the expansion of the federal government have all threatened this idea of greatness.

    Read More

  • human nature

    505 Words  | 2 Pages

    As I mentioned before our environment has a great effect on our nature. For example a theory claimed that, the first humans were originated in Africa in the time frame of 115,00...

    Read More

  • Essay On Labor Unions

    816 Words  | 2 Pages

    Stohr, Greg. “Union Fees Debated in Supreme Court Case Over Labor Power.” Bloomberg.com. 21 January 2014. Web. 17 April 2014.

    Read More

  • Harley-Davidson Circle Organization

    1315 Words  | 3 Pages

    Flanagan, R. J. (2005). Has Management Strangled U.S. Unions? Journal of Labor Research, 26(1), 33-63.

    Read More

  • Collective Bargaining Agreements

    1667 Words  | 4 Pages

    A collective bargaining agreement collectively sets the terms on which an employer offers individual work contracts to each of its employees in the bargaining unit. A bargaining agreement, also herein referred to as a labour agreement, is a legally enforceable written commitment, which states the rights and duties of all parties involved. The labour agreement should be made in good faith and is intended to be observed and not violated. The National Labour Relations Act obligates employers and unions to bargain in good faith concerning terms and conditions of employment, including hours and wages. Like any normal contract, competent parties must enter into a labour agreement. However, a labour agreement is unique from other legal contracts in that there is no consideration involved and nothing tangible is exchanged. Many, but not all, unions require formal ratification of a new labour contract by a majority membership acceptance, which is determined through vote by the members. Until majority approval of those voting in a ratification election is received, the proposed labour contract is not final. While each labour agreement is unique to the needs of an organization and its employees, most agreements include five issues: (1) Management Rights, (2) Union Security, (3) Wages and Benefits, (4) Individual Security (Seniority) Rights, and (5) Dispute Resolution. Management Rights “Management” is the process of working with people and resources to accomplish organizational goals by making the best possible use of money, time, materials and people. The management process, when properly executed, involves a wide variety of activities including planning, organizing, directing and controlling. It is management’s role to perform all of these functions in order to maximize results.

    Read More

More about Labor Unions

Open Document