Labor is an important element of every business as they offer a link between the production of a good or service to the point where it is delivered to a consumer. Therefore, they are the central point of each firm. Thus, companies should ensure that they treat this component of production as an asset rather than a cost. Many firms in the industry have confused the importance of labor and have taken it as a cost. They have then gone ahead in their measures to cut costs and reduced the amount of labor in their companies. This strategy often leads to such institutions’ failure, as talented employees will want to work in a company that offers them job security. Thus, companies that do not treat their workers well are likely to miss the best talents in their industries. Other firms have also reduced employee salaries as a way of cutting costs. Although this strategy is inevitable, sometimes it often effects on employee motivation and influence production. Motivated workers will help institutions in achieving their targets as they feel part of the organization. As a result, when these workers feel unappreciated, they will not work to their best and end up delivering low-quality products. However, labor unions have been instrumental in ensuring that workers receive the best terms in their companies and that they are their employers follow the rules and regulations governing their industries. Although many company leadership views these unions as against them, they are important in ensuring that employees are comfortable in the workplace and thus deliver to their potentials. This is crucial for each firm, as they will attain their goals through their labor force. Therefore, labor unions are an important component of each firm’s success. Therefore, this paper will study the role of labor and unions in the 21st Century to understand how they are shaping the human resource sector.
In recent years, the number of people joining labor unions has significantly declined. According to studies, the number of private-sector employees that joined labor unions in the US in 1953 was estimated at 36 percent of the entire private-sector workers. However, the number has significantly declined, and the figure was estimated to be an average of 6 percent in 2006 (Droz, 2015). This figure is even though many private companies have come up over these years. Many people have blamed the decline in the number of globalization, which has hurt wage growth and hence affecting the lives of employees in the country. However, legislation such as the right to work has also played crucial roles in affecting the growth of labor unions in the nation. These legislations have allowed different states in the country to enact laws that prevent employees from joining labor unions. Although these laws are controversial, they have prevented a significant number of employees from joining unions in some regions of the country, leading to a decline in the number of people joining these unions. However, studies also suggest that many employees shy away from joining labor unions as the4se organizations are not long-lasting, and they wear off after a few years. Such organizations often disintegrate, and workers are left without a union (Compa, 2015). As a result, many workers have lost trust in these organizations as they will join and will have to look for new unions after these institutions end. As a result, many employers will not take such unions seriously, as many of its workers do not join them, hence reducing the collective bargaining power they have.
Advancement of technology has also disrupted the labor market. This sector has led to the introduction of robots with artificial intelligence that have cast doubts on the future of many employees. The automation of many industries around the world has significantly shaped the labor market, as many works have been laid off to pave the way for the introduction of technology. These machines are efficient and cost-effective compared to human labor, as they do not require monthly salaries (Brown & Loprest, 2018). As a result, many firms around the world are shifting towards its use as a way of minimizing operation costs. As a result, many workers are increasingly concerned about their job security with the introduction of this technology. However, many workers need to realign their skills from the traditional ways of operating to modern ways to ensure that they maintain their jobs despite the introduction of technology. However, the use of machines and robots in many firm operations does not entirely cancel the need for workers as these machines require human beings to operate and service them. Therefore, the advancement of technology has significantly led to a reduction in mechanized jobs where workers were given a routine job that does not require special skills. However, it has led to a rise in demand for skilled labor in the technical and analytical fields. Due to the rise in the use of artificial intelligence in many operations, the demand for switchboard operators and programmers has significantly increased. Many firms using these technologies require these specialists in programming and managing these machines to ensure that they deliver to their optimum.
This technology has also adversely affected the roles of many workers in the industry. For instance, truck drivers are likely to lose their jobs with the introduction of robots and automatic vehicles that uses Artificial intelligence. The introduction of surgical robots has also affected the work of surgeons. However, such professionals may not lose their jobs, as they will be required to monitor the robots as they carry out their operations and control them from a remote room. Such doctors will also be required to analyze data collected by these robots and make decisions based on what is received (Brown & Loprest, 2018). Therefore, employees in the 21st Century should ensure that they receive the right skills to work along with technology and maintain their job positions. Although the advancement of technology is likely to affect their work, it will also offer skilled labor a chance to benefit from their knowledge. Most of the employees that will retain their jobs in the 21st Century are those that have aligned their skills with technology. As a result, these employees will be essential for the operation of these machines and robots. As a result, they will receive better pay for their work. Therefore, despite the decline in the number of jobs available, those that will obtain employment will receive better compensation.
Therefore, the changing roles of employees worldwide in the 21st Century have also warranted changes in labor unions to ensure that they address the dynamic challenges they face in the world. For instance, these unions are working towards ensuring that they enhance new methods of employee representation. In the American context, many people have failed to understand that the population is exempted from the protection of labor that ensures the growth of unions. There is a close relationship between the risk factors that bring about worker abuse and these excluded professions. Since the 1980s, taxi drivers in New York have been operating in an environment where joining the traditional trade union was impossible (Horowitz, 2013). A majority of taxi drivers do not work in the field for a long time, and many of them shift to other careers after some time. A majority of these drivers were also immigrants, and it was difficult for them to join unions as they were not citizens of the nation. However, in the 1990s, an organization named the New York Taxi Workers Alliance (NYTWA) came up with a strategy to organize drivers into forming unions, although many of the drivers were skeptical of the idea, they joined after they received support from these groups (Horowitz, 2013). This move proved to be important in the industry. After several decades of formation, this organization has been successful in leading taxi drivers into various strikes as they fought for the rights of their members while they have also negotiated for better benefits for their worker’s improved working environments. These have come in at a time when the industry has embraced technology with the introduction of companies such as Uber. The union has led several strikes that have helped drivers work for such institutions to receive better pay and improved working environments. NYTWA received its charter in 2011, which has allowed it to enhance its operation and increase its membership. Therefore, trade unions have been crucial in the 21st Century in coming up with new ways of representing workers and ensuring that their working environment is improved. The taxi industry in New York has been transformed significantly through the union. It has allowed many immigrant workers who have suffered in the hands of their employers to receive better pay, insurance coverages, and other benefits that they did not receive before. It has also allowed drivers in the industry to join unions that have helped them have a collective bargaining agreement with their employers from the unions’ large numbers.
Unions in the 21st Century are also important in fighting for the rights of working families through its cooperation with the community. The work of trade unions is always to keep employers in check to ensure that they reward their workers according to the amount of work that they do. However, some employers fail to deliver on their agreements with the workers and often do not pay them what they deserve. Therefore, worker’s unions will come into the aid of these workers by approaching the employers and fight for the rights of its workers. One of the most effective ways these unions achieve this is by initiating strikes, which brings activities at the workplace to a standstill, affecting the firm’s profitability. As a result, employers are forced to give in to the demands of the workers. Law protects such employees, and the employers will not fire them when they participate in the strikes (Horowitz, 2013). Although many employers in the modern-day consider their employees as assets, some look at them as cost and end up demoralizing them. In such situations, the unions help the companies fight for their rights and ensure that they receive the compensation they deserve for their work. Across history, unions have been instrumental in fighting for the worker’s rights.
For instance, in the 1960s, it was common to see the leaders of these unions participating in civil rights activities in the society. Unions during those days acted as activist movements. Union leaders such as Walter Reuther could be seen participating in civil rights activities in the society. This trend continues in the 21st Century, as many activists have become part of other movements that help improve the lives of the public in the society. For example, a campaign carried out by trade unions in a Nissan company in Mississippi saw the help of several black churches who helped the union fight for the rights of its workers (Horowitz, 2013). The union also saw the help of nearby institutions of learning as they struggled to fight against oppression from employers. The organizers of such activities achieved their objectives by linking respect at their workplace to protecting the dignity of everybody in their activities. As a result, such unions could achieve the help of churches who felt that the dignity of workers needed to be protected. Through such moves, employers are forced to give in to such unions’ demands and avoid going against institutions such as churches and schools, which lay a crucial role in society. Such unions also receive support from communities in their fights for the rights of workers. They have also been part of the fight against discrimination of minorities, women, and immigrants. Therefore, society sees them as part of the community that helps solve some of the challenges that they face.
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