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22 LABOR UNIONS
From the Middle Ages, individuals skilled in crafts had a need for protection and equality in the workplace.
Workers discovered that they had more power if they acted as one.
Poor working conditions existed until the early 1800s, when these craftsmen loosely organized themselves and named themselves the Craft Union.
Even though the number of members increased until the 1900s, the number of problems in the workplace also grew.
For the 100 or so years that the Craft Union existed, the number and types of crafts also grew.
Belonging to the union were hat makers, tailors, carpenters, furniture builders, furriers, blacksmiths, etc.
Because the needs and interests were so varied, it became apparent that the organization could not exist as it had been.
Most likely the first union organized with specific purposes was the Knights of Labor.
This union grew quite large and was more effective than the Craft Union, but was disbanded around 1917 after a turbulent beginning.
Finally, at the end of the nineteenth century, SAMUEL GOMPERS became the leader, organizer, and manager of the union of the American Federation of Labor (AFL).
This was the first "real" union with characteristics as we know today.
Gompers remained leader of this union until his death in 1924.
Organized labor is a term that identifies those people of specific work interests and skills.
These people pay dues, elect officers, and support and abide by its rules.
A union is a specific type of organized group.
Today, almost every blue and white collar group is represented by some sort of organization that acts for the benefit of the workers.
This organization is usually referred to as a union.
A great deal of the time before and after World War I, the business community did not support organized labor.
Their reasons were of fear because they associated violence and crime with unions.
They were also fearful of losing control of their own businesses.
During the Great Depression the New Deal proposed by Franklin D. Roosevelt contained a provision for the unions.
The Re-employment Agreement of the New Deal, stated that unions could implement collective bargaining.
ECONOMIC APPLICATION TOOL: Collective bargaining is a method of reaching an agreement in which representatives of employers and employees discuss proposed changes in the terms of the labor contract.
In the years preceding the National Recovery Act and the President's Reemployment Agreement of the New Deal, workers were at the mercy of employers.
They had no job protection standard, working conditions, benefits, or wages.
These laws brought about great changes in all of these conditions.
In 1935, the National Labor Relations Act guaranteed workers the right to start unions. The American Federation of Labor (AFL) merged with the Congress of Industrial Organization (CIO) and formed the largest organized labor group in the United States in 1955.
The Congress of Industrial Organization (CIO) had been formed during the Great Depression.
John L. Lewis, who was president of the United Mine Workers (UMW) took over the CIO in 1938.
Until the passage of the Taft-Hartley Act of 1947, the union and/or employers could enforce some conditions.
Closed shops were outlawed by the Taft-Hartley Act because it meant that an individual could not work unless he or she belonged to a union.
The act also allowed individual states to pass their own right-to-work laws. The right-to-work means workers do not have to join the union.
The Taft-Hartley Act allowed for an 80 day court injunction against strikes that would threaten national health or safety.
A UNION SHOP means that a company cannot employ an individual who does not belong to the union.
An OPEN SHOP indicates that there is no union membership required in order to be employed.
In 1959, the Landrum-Griffith Act required more uniformity among all unions in the methods of operating, election of officers, collection and management of union dues.
This law also spells out the democratic procedures unions must adopt (for example, every member has the right to attend meetings and vote).
The law also permits members to examine the union's books and records, imposes harsh punishment for embezzlement of union funds, and places restrictions on the use of picketing and boycotts in certain instances (such as picketing to extort a bribe from an employer).
The union memberships grew steadily from 1900 through the 1980s.
With the organization and growth of unions, working conditions greatly improved, wages were more equitable, and there was a standard for promotions, hiring, and firing.
Before unions were organized, working conditions were horrendous.
Many factories and shops were referred to as "sweat shops." They were rat-infested, had little or no ventilation, paid sub-level wages, and required long hours or hard work.
Children and women were often exploited in factories. Working conditions were unsafe and unsanitary.
In the 1990s, union membership has been declining, as has the popularity of unions.
Threatened union membership has caused industry to be more cooperative in solving problems.
In many instances, this has thwarted the need for unions.
Management is generally not in favor of unions because of the power that membership gives to the workers.
As unions grew, they quickly saw the development of one of their most powerful tools - the strike.
A strike is an organized refusal of union workers to work until a certain demand has been met by the company.
Union members form picket lines, which means that workers form a line in front of the entrance or entrances to a company.
They carry signs showing their support of the union demands.
Picketers try to keep other workers - and especially union members - from crossing the picket line to work.
Since strikers sometimes become aggressive in their attempts to keep others from working, people who continue to work during a strike often jeopardize their safety.
These people are known as scabs.
Sometimes companies hire workers from other areas to work in the place of the striking workers.
These strikebreakers can help a company continue to function without a permanent work force.
Another tactic used by unions is the refusal to buy a company's products.
This is a non-violent method of making a point with a large company and is known as a boycott.
If enough people boycott a company, the results can be effective.
Sometimes a group, company, workers, or other groups of citizens would sympathize with a cause and would also refuse to patronize a store or purchase certain products.
This is called a secondary boycott.
Some people view unions as attempt to create a monopoly of a certain service.
These people see unions as fitting into one or all of three categories:
1. ensuring employment for all members of the union
2. maximizing wage rates for all workers
People are divided over the benefits of unions. People see both good and bad aspects of unions.
One good aspect is that they attempt to induce workers to feel that they are working in fair and good circumstances.
When this is true, or the workers believe it is true, they work harder.
By working harder, both the company and the employees profit.
There are many ways that union workers can force a monopoly in goods and services.
For instance, the textile union members may feel that it is unfair to use fabrics from an imported source.
They can almost force their company to not use imported goods because it would put American workers out of work.
If this strategy or philosophy were applied to any situation, unions could render an amazing influence upon virtually everything that is produced.
Here are several brief union concepts:
* When unions force prices above a market clearing price, they could ration union jobs.
* Unions can raise the wage rates for its members during a recession.
* Unions can represent the members, thus freeing the members from having to talk directly to producers.
This may, in fact, decrease turnover and improve productivity.
The original goal of organized labor was to obtain fair and safe working conditions for its members.
How do you think that organized labor, strikes, and boycotts can affect the production of goods and services?
Now extend that level of thinking to a broader level.
What effect could these actions have on a business or a country?
SUMMARY
This concludes our discussion of labor unions. Please refer to news sources for ongoing information on labor unions and the influence they have on our economy.