If It Weren't for Unions - Hrm 330

"If It Weren't For Unions. . . . . . ."

Week 7 ~ Course Project Paper HRM330

Introduction

Union: An organization of employees formed to bargain with the employer. Labor unions represent solidarity among the working classes that bring people together to lobby for better rights, wages and benefits. The first local unions in the United States were formed in the late 18th century. Workers wanted fair pay, regulated work hours, and better working conditions. If it weren't for unions we would be working 12 hour days, 6 days a week with no paid holidays, no vacation time, and all while making very little money. Unions give employees a voice and with the magnitude of support that employees show, employers have no choice but to listen.

In 1866, the National Labor Union (NLU) was formed. The NLU brought together all of the national labor organizations to create a national federation that could help with labor reforms and help form new unions where they did not exist. The NLU attempted to organize skilled and unskilled workers in both agricultural and industrial fields. The NLU emphasized political actions, and this alienated a large number of its members. In 1877 the NLU came to an end and then was born the American Federation of Labor (AFL). The AFL focused on securing higher wages, better working conditions and a shorter work week for the skilled workers. In 1955 the AFL and the CIO (Congress of Industrial Organizations) merged. The CIO was formed to encourage the AFL to organize workers of mass production industries along industrial union lines.

As people began to work together to improve their work conditions, the labor movement in the United States started to grow. Labor unions continued to fight for the best interest of their member's livelihoods. The Labor Movement led to efforts to stop child labor, obtain health benefits for workers and to provide aid to workers who were injured or retired. With unions growing at such a fast pace, they gained higher bargaining power. Employers had no choice but to listen to their demands or face the possibility of large and costly strikes. The labor movement really gave employees the voice, equity and efficiency that the employees needed.

With all of the deep roots that our American workforce has held on to, the question at hand is, are unions good for the American economy today? The answer is really depends on who you ask. It is going to vary from person to person, but let's focus in on the economic growth and economic development. One way to measure the economic growth is by the work force's ability to produce goods and services. Many will argue that we have failed in this arena because of all of the jobs that have been outsourced to other countries due to high labor cost to produce the needed goods and services. So the economic growth doesn't make is seem necessary to hold on to unions. Now the economic development is another story. The economic development focuses on the standard of living workers. With increased wages for the cost of living, this helps the economic development because the more one makes, the more one tends to spend. This also gives more money to the workers to keep their homes and pay for other living expenses. This is good for the overall economy.

So should unions be a thing of the past? With unions, workers are secure with their jobs, they are making higher wages and they have representation to fight the fight should the need arise. Many will argue that they are a waste of money, they cause more problems than they are worth, and there are labor laws in place that can offer the same protection to workers. Who is to say that if they go away, employers won't start to take advantage of the workers again and thus the vicious cycle begins?

History of Unions

Between 1860 and 1900 the count of American Cities grew from 9 to 38. With the Industrial Revolution spreading to America from France, Germany, Belgium and Great Britain, American businesses started to feel the stress and found themselves dealing with conflicts in the workplace. In an effort to balance the power of employer vs. employee, the labor force began to form labor unions. Labor Unions consisted of a group of workers coming together to influence the nature of their employment. With the magnitude of support that employees showed, employers had no choice but to listen to the group. Labor unions helped all laborers to bargain for better rights and better working conditions: eight hour work days, decent wages, health benefits and safe working conditions.

Laborers needed to be protected regardless if they were skilled or unskilled workers. In the late 1700's majority of people worked on farms producing food. By the middle of the 1800's, more people were working for wages by making consumer goods. By the mid 1800's the workforce consisted of a combination of skilled and unskilled workers. There were some union federations that only catered to the skilled worker and if you were unskilled and tried to get a unionized job, you were pretty much put into a corner to join the union sooner or later. First you had the close shop provision which only allowed for employers to hire union members, then you had the union shop provision which gave a new hired employee a grace period of 60 to 90 days before joining the union and then you had the agency shop provision which offered non-union members representation for a fee. So regardless of what job you took and whether or not you wanted to join the union; somehow some way they were going to get money out you. As the skilled and unskilled workers moved into the developing cities, they all became more dependent on wages for basic survival needs. Thus labor unions became more and more necessary and more labor unions were formed to meet the different needs of the workers.

The National Labor Union (NLU) was the first national labor federation in the United States. It was founded in 1866 and dissolved in 1877. It paved the way for other organizations, such as the Knights of Labor and the American Federation of Labor. The NLU drew much of its support from skilled workers, but also invited the unskilled farm workers to join them. The NLU focused on political actions, and this alienated the large number of its members.

During the 19th Century, trade unions really exploded in the United States. These unions really played an important part in the role for independence and protection for workers. Many unions were formed for the skilled and unskilled workers. It was the formation of the union federation in specifically the American Federation of Labor (AFL). It was after the fall of the