Union Membership In Today's Labor Market

The workers at Pullman went on a strike in 1894 because they wanted to improve economic conditions and gain recognition for the union. Workers formed into unions, such as the Amalgamated Association of Iron and Steel Workers (AAISW) and the American Railway Union (ARU), to secure higher wages, shorter hours, improve safety conditions and a fairer measure of control of the labor process (Hewitt and Lawson 550). Labor unions became a popular vehicle for labor discontent by collective bargaining. In other words, workers tried to talk to the leader of a union about working conditions. Workers wanted to increase their “strength in numbers” (class notes).

I gained my first exposure to the union movement when I joined the United Food and Commercial Workers’ union as a bagger at the local grocery store. Acme Fresh Market introduced me to many aspects of the working life, but joining and learning about our Local 880 union proved a unique source of information and stability. Even through moving to work as a cashier and pharmacy technician, the union has always undoubtedly offered support and security during my whole working experience. The union has offered me countless benefits, some involving a fair wage, a safe working environment, paid vacations and breaks, protects of my civil rights, and an eight hour workday with possibility of overtime compensation.

Labor union is the organization of workers who come together to achieve common goals. Unions came into picture in 18th century due to the imbalance in the rights of workers in regards to owners. Knights of Labor were the earliest large scale union in United States organized in 1869. They sought equal work for equal pay including blacks and women. This union peaked in 1880s but was soon replaced by American Federation of Labor.

The Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions (FOTLU) of the US and Canada (1881) changed it’s name to American Federation of Labor in 1886. They formed because they wanted unions to be free from political groups and to be more focused on the worries of the everyday workers. The unions were made up of “craft” unions, a labor organization that brings together workers of a particular craft or trade to form a union, who were unhappy with the leaders of Knights of Labor. The Knights of Labor wanted local craft unions to exit from their international organizations and work with the Knights directly, which would help bring funds to the Knights of Labor. Forty-two delegates, 13 national unions, 12 local unions and city labor council members

Retrieved from https://libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&AN=87786622&site=ehost-live&scope=site. Author's Main Points Hurd (2013) noted the importance of understanding how the Labor Union began, grew, fell, almost became great again, and how it benefited the labor union leaders not the laborers themselves or the labor organizations within the states throughout these difficulties. During this article Hurd (2013), points out how he feels the unions

My sister, Kayla, writes historical fiction and is particularly interested in union history, so she has done extensive research on how unions have helped laborers in the past. Laborers who have benefited from unions range from miners in the Upper Peninsula to women textile factory workers in New York. These diverse workers originally went on strike for union recognition because without it, the companies wouldn’t have to hold to their agreements to shorter workdays, safer working conditions, injury compensation, and not firing workers for discriminatory reasons. Without the union, companies would make promises to their striking workers, but the poor working conditions would quickly resume as soon as the workers ended the

Most Labor Unions today focus on collective bargaining over wages, working conditions, and benefits for their union. I am for union rights because our society has a lot to offer for benefits. I am for labor unions because

It wasn’t a union, but a federation, whose goals were to bargain with employees’, resolve grievances and organize strikes. Unlike The Knight of Labor, in order to achieve efficiency, it believed in the capitalist system and the importance of employers’ making a profit, but also seeks to win labor’s fair share of the profits through collective bargaining. Equity was achieved by way of making sure that employees received their fair share of the profits though collective bargaining. Therefore, to ensure that workers received their fair share of the profits, the union had no problem using the threat of strikes.

By the 1980’s membership represented only 20% of the labor force, and today just 7.8%. An imminent Supreme Court Ruling on the case of Freidrichs v California further threatens Union stability. In this case the court is being asked to determine the justness of forcing employees to contribute financially to unions which in turn spends their money lobbying for political agendas that benefit the union. According to The Center for Responsive Politics, eight of the top ten all-time political contributors are labor unions. Which is concerning in and of itself.

The topic of Labor Unions has been the focus of many political debates in recent years, with these discussions having people advocate for and against the unions. Labor Unions are an organization that represent a collective group of employees to protect and further theirs rights and interests. Labor Unions were first introduced in the eighteenth century with increasing numbers around the United States and the world, but unfortunately during the past decade these numbers have drastically decreased, resulting in less education and achievement of solidarity among employees. Solidarity is the unity or agreement of feeling or action, especially among individuals with a common interest. Workers in the United States would benefit more through labor

Unions are concerned with affordable healthcare acts affects their ability to increase union membership, and the ability to maintain union dues. Additional costs associated with affordable healthcare act cannot be passed to members, directly or indirectly. Negotiating the increased costs may offset wage negotiations in the future. Unions are not happy with the outcome of the affordable healthcare act (iam141, 2010, pp. 1-3). Union members and union leaders were generally in support of the Affordable Healthcare act during its development.

Unions have been around for a long time. The first union was established in 1866 in the U.S. with the foundation of the National Labor Union or the NLU. The National Labor Union was created to persuade Congress to change laws. The NLU was against holding strikes and instead relied on political action to reach its goals. The NLU, made up of farmers, workers, and reformers, excluding African Americans and women, firstly wanted Congress to limit the work days to just eight hours, and it was able to make this change, but after this none of its other suggestions made it through.

Some insights from the Roper Center for Public Opinion Research archives. Gallup has been asking the public about their approval of labor unions since 1936. Support for unions has drifted slowly downward since its early peaks. However majorities (54%) still express approval in the most recent poll. Despite continued majority support for labor overall, the public has consistently reported negative associations with union leaders.

“Labor unions are organizations in which employees bond together to create a collective voice for negotiations with employers” (Arthur. 2016). From my research I have found that labor unions can be viewed as both negative and positive, but if used properly unions can really benefit both the employers and employees. I would say I have to agree with the reason behind why unionization was created within organizations. To help insure fairness was given among all hard working employees, and allowing for those employees to receive what they deserve despise their race, gender or ethnicity. Although some research shows that labor unions have been on both sides, some enforcing discrimination, others welcoming minorities.

The following section discusses the decline in trade union membership, reasons of decline union in membership and the solution of the declines, advantages and disadvantages of trade unions membership in any employment. Trade union is an organization who have come together to achieve common goals such as protecting the integrity of its trade, improving safety standards, achieving higher pay and benefits such as health care and retirement, increasing the number of employees an employer assigns to complete the work and better working conditions. Most trade unions are independent of any employer. However, trade unions try to develop close working relationships with employers. This can sometimes take the form of a partnership agreement between the employer and the trade union which identifies their