For unions, where were they, where are they, and where do they need to go to remain or regain an active and viable organization in the 21st century? I hope that my views on the question snag at your curiosity and you will want to see a brief answer to the question that has been chosen. Hopefully, you will want to read further and see another side of the labor union roller coaster. I chose this topic based on our last dialogue in class when I spoke with my daughter and niece and asked what they thought about unions. There has always been some form of union as far back as the Boston Tea Party in 1773. One of the earliest and most significant Labor Unions was recognized around 1869 called the Knights of Labor created by tailors in Philadelphia. Uriah Smith Stephens is said to be one of the key laborites and was instrumental in founding the Knights of Labor, and also known as the first official labor union in the United States. So as a topic I chose the aforementioned because to understand what we need to do- we need to understand how they got started
To begin, let’s ask For Unions, where were they? So what is a labor union? When the first labor union was officially recognized? A union is an organization of workers formed to protect the rights and interests of their members, a group of workers fashioned for the purpose of advancing its members’ interests in respect to wages, benefits, and working conditions. The history of labor unions throughout the United States had a lot to do with changes in private companies and enterprise to the development of technology today. Although labor unions can be compared to European business as far back as the middle ages, they became intense when factory systems and the Industrial Revolution of the nineteenth century hit the scene.
The very first efforts to organize employees met with violent opposition by their employers in the late 1790’s. The U.S. legal system, in the case of Commonwealth v. Pullis commonly known as the Philadelphia Cordwainers’ case, laborers (boot and shoe makers) of Philadelphia were indicted as a together for conspiring against employers to raise their wages. This case is viewed as a landmark in granting unions some legal legitimacy, and it marks the beginning of the end for the application of the conspiracy doctrine to labor relations. But the first nationally recognized labor union was started in 1886 – The American Federation of Labor came into existence. During that same year the AFL called for work to be shortened from 12 and 10 hour days to eight hour work days originating was is called today as May Day. Over one hundred delegates attended the founding convention including the Knights of Labor, which at that time was the largest labor organization in the country. For years workers belonged to both the Knights and the Federation.
In the late 19th and 20 century Samuel Gomper president of the American Federation of Labor from 1886 until he died in 1924 became somewhat of a renowned and feared union figure. He fought for better education for laborers and less talk, more constant work and less greed, more justice and less revenge and jail time for standing a workers ground for what was to be their future, and more opportunities for laborers instead of making them feel enslaved and institutionalized to their employers. Gomper also became somewhat of a union advisor to President Woodrow Wilson. President Wilson found it politically advantageous to have Gomper and the support of the AFL during World War I to reduce to possibility of ever having a strike. The very first efforts to organize employees met with violent opposition by their employers. The U.S. legal system in the case of Commonwealth v. Pullis commonly known as the Philadelphia Cordwainers’ case; laborers (boot and shoe makers) of Philadelphia were indicted as a together for conspiring against employers to raise their wages. This case is viewed as a landmark in granting unions some legal legitimacy, and it marks the beginning of the end for the application of the conspiracy doctrine to labor relations.
Where are unions now? Where are unions as it stands today? As business and corporations became larger, unions became larger as well. But for the past fifty or so years a steady decline in both union membership and influence has become a constant. The area where unions remain in large numbers and memberships is the government and public sectors (county, city). Government unions do little to establish individual recognition and advancement; they just keep getting increased wages. The increased wages come from the state’s government increasing taxes on their people to support the ridiculous wages that government workers earn, therefore the only obvious answer is that they would earn significantly more than a private sector worker would. Here are three reasons, I believe, labor unions are declining. First is has to do with employers wanting keep their businesses union-free. If employees are treated right in the first place there really is no need for a labor union. This is can be summed up as the mainstream economic theory of thought. Prices in a competitive market reflect the value of what’s being purchased, so outcomes are more efficient. Larger companies don’t want the hassle and politics of having a union especially in a right-to-work state in other words if you don’t like your working conditions leave and find another employer who will treat you better (quit). Other employers put workers on the management team by appointing them to the board of directors or establishing profit-sharing plans to reward employees. Second is that new additions to the labor force have continuously had little interest in organized labor. Training has become better; more opportunities have become readily available. The next generation of workers values finishing their education. More women and kids ages 16-24 are working and their income serves as a second income. The younger generation tends to accepting lower wages due to the fact they are either still in high school or in college and it would really defeat the purpose of an organized labor union. Third and final reason in the decline – labor unions suffer from their own pride and undoing. Unions have raised their own wages greatly above wages paid to a non-union worker. In today’s society – union-made goods are so expensive sales are lost to less expensive competitors, foreign and domestic. Non-union items and products are selling better and making companies significant profits. This kind of act alone has caused some companies to reduce hour’s therefore reducing manpower and creating mass layoff or permanent termination so companies can stay afloat, without workers there are no union members to keep unions going. With the increasing technology shift in today’s world of companies – less manpower is needed to get the job done and more skilled and technical training are becoming the ‘BIG THING’ today. Industrial hands on jobs are fading and the age of computer technology is increasing even at a faster rate than Human Resources and companies can keep up with. The Human Resources School of Thought believes that independent unions are unnecessary third parties and that they prevent employers and employees from having a better working relationship. If the companies are doing what they are supposed to in the first place (taking care of their employees), then there would be no need for any kind of labor union in the first place. With the increasing technology shift in today’s world of companies – less manpower is needed to get the job done and more skilled and technical training are becoming the ‘BIG THING’ today. Industrial hands on jobs are fading and the age of computer technology is increasing even at a faster rate than Human Resources and companies can keep up with. The Human Resources School of Thought believes that independent unions are unnecessary third parties and that they prevent employers and employees from having a better working relationship. If the companies are doing what they are supposed to in the first place (taking care of their employees), then there would be no need for any kind of labor union in the first place.
Job quality should be as main focus for any labor union if they want to remain alive and useful in the 21st century and beyond. Happy employees create a healthy work place and work surroundings which produce results for the employer. These are some issues that the union will have to switch to if they want to stay viable in the near and far future. Employees are looking for fair, courteous, and workplaces that value them. The key factors of a satisfied associate and company should include the type of work that is created and if the associate has a voice in the construction of what needs to take place for the better of the company and their jobs, less work stress so everyone can pull their own weight, job security along with creative education tools to keep the mind engaged at work so that it does not become mundane, and a good work and life balance. Employees also look for excellent employee benefits, competitive salaries, schedules that can be flexible from time to time, and letting associates see and know that their wellbeing actually is a concern of the company and unions alike. I find that there are three objectives that a union should be sure of for their members and stay ahead of the employer so-to-speak: Be Efficient-maximize the company’s use of their labor force by promoting economic prosperity. By making sure that the company’s uses of their associates are being distributed correctly – both the union and the employer should see a better turnover in profitability. Then there is Equality: Be fair. The same punishment and or reward should fit whatever problem or success comes with it across the board. There should always be a high standard. Unions can sometimes centralize their power to better achieve equality and at the same time forget about the associates they represent. And Voice: Something that every union and employer should want most of all. Trust should be between all three parties to be able to have an effective and efficient working relationship. No better way to do that then they the power of voice. If associate had a greater voice, more and more employee would enjoy their jobs more if they had at least a voice in meeting brainstorm groups, etc.
In closing, as I see it. Are we really ready for the high-tech challenges of this 21st century and are unions going to be around filling their halls with new members? Will our employers and our union’s representatives finally come around to meeting the needs of all working families and not just their own? Young adults who are just now getting started on their work journey to their dream careers have been asked these questions. The future is not up to us who live in it at the present, it will be left to our sons and daughters to carry on trade, industry, companies, and unions. It seems to me that too many employees want to start a union for every little discrepancy or grievance will never get the chance. Today’s employers use every weapon and tactic available to block such things from happening especially in the private sectors. If working families are to thrive and prosper in the new economy, one of our priorities as a nation must be to restore the basic American freedom to choose to form a union. It comes down to this: Will we give the new generation of workers the chance to move ahead in the new century, or will we leave them behind? Will we work together to create good jobs and strong communities, or will we let businesses keep the rewards of a growing economy