Changing Unions Changing Times

The workforce in the United States has changed throughout the years. Due to this change the unions that support this workforce has went through a change process. A union is a group of employees that band together in order to receive good working conditions, good and fair pay, and fair hours. The purpose of the union is to be the voice of the employee. Unions represent workers in all types of positions. Unions today are made up of many different fields. According to our text the breakdown is as follows; forty percent of all employees in federal, state and local government, with teachers, police and firefighters making up almost forty two percent. (Sloane & Witney, 2010, p7).

Labor unions used to represent about a third of the workforce in the United States. Over the past century this has changed. The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics reports show there are sixteen point one million belonging to a union in the United States down from seventeen point seven in 1983. The dynamics of the people entering the workforce are skilled, knowledgeable and have degrees. The representation these individuals require is different than what the unskilled labor force required. The individuals entering the workforce are looking for a job that is going to challenge them and provide them room for growth. Earlier people were just content working and bringing home a check to support their families. I believe that is still true today but people want more. Employers believe in order to compete and be successful they need to have the final say in who is hired and fired. Because of these revelations unions have to be able to market themselves to be able to assist.

Federal labor laws are also in place to keep companies honest. There are laws in place that sets the minimum amount a person can be paid and the maximum number of hours a person can work before a break, lunch or overtime. The Civil Rights Act established that employers cannot discriminate in hiring based on race, sex, and religion. Occupational Health and Safety Act requires employers to keep a safe working environment for its employees. They develop standards and conduct inspections to make sure they are being followed. The labor laws in place tend to block unions because the employers know the laws and know what they have to do in order to be in compliance. Because of this unions have had to modify their philosophy to accommodate the shift away from unions.

Unions were beginning to see a decline and had to make some changes to get back in the game. Many companies are operating globally and the security of employees. What used to work in the past is no longer working. Employers are not worried about strikes because they know the job will still get done. Due to this change, labor unions are joining forces to try to influence labor issues and become more politically involved. Unions are going to have to join forces and convince people that they have a strategy