Labor Unions In the United States, labor unions are organizations which fight for workplace justice and to improve the quality of life for the average working family. They are typically made up of an organized group of workers who band together to make decisions or lobby about conditions affecting their collective workplaces. There are over 60 unions representing over 14 million workers throughout the country (What is a Union, 2015). Most people believe that unions only represent industrial workers but this is not the case. Unions actually represent the interests of all laborers, no matter what they actually do. Whether you are a farmer, teacher, doctor, plumber, factory or office worker, you have a union that represents you and that you
…show more content…
This automatically places union members at a greater advantage, but this is just one collateral advantage to being a union member. There are four primary advantages to union membership: collective bargaining, higher wages, better benefits, and representation (What are the Benefits, 2012). The cornerstone of the labor union is its collective bargaining ability. When workers unite to increase negotiating power, collective bargaining becomes possible. Union workers elect council members to voice their concerns to the employer, allowing individual grievances to be made and solved by the union. Another top benefit of belonging to a union is that you typically have a higher wage than a non-union worker. Union workers get about 20 percent more in terms of wages (not including benefits) compared to others in similar jobs that aren’t supported by a union (What are the Benefits, 2012). Also, due to collective bargaining and terms that are set forth in wage agreements from the onset, union workers tend to get more frequent and higher …show more content…
These four standards include freedom of association and the right to organize, freedom from forced labor, elimination from child labor that is harmful to the child or interferes with schooling, and nondiscrimination in employment (Robertson, 2012). Although most foreign countries have adopted these standards, some have found ways to shirk them. In such instances, unions may continue to be an important avenue to affect working conditions abroad. Globalization could increase unionization if industries with higher union rates expand abroad as a result of globalization. For an increase to occur, foreign companies would have to welcome unions, which they may not do if they’re not operating on the “up and up”. However, if unions increase productivity, reduce turnover, or create a positive public image, then they may be more apt to welcome them into the organization. Since labor unions are a product of the United States, the foreign organizations are not held to the same formal union standards. Whether a union is needed or not is primarily relative to the nation and their willingness to conform to the ILO’s core labor standards. My personal belief is that if the conditions that made labor unions necessary in the past still exist in the United States today then the chances of them existing abroad is equally high if not
This automatically places union members at a greater advantage, but this is just one collateral advantage to being a union member. There are four primary advantages to union membership: collective bargaining, higher wages, better benefits, and representation (What are the Benefits, 2012). The cornerstone of the labor union is its collective bargaining ability. When workers unite to increase negotiating power, collective bargaining becomes possible. Union workers elect council members to voice their concerns to the employer, allowing individual grievances to be made and solved by the union. Another top benefit of belonging to a union is that you typically have a higher wage than a non-union worker. Union workers get about 20 percent more in terms of wages (not including benefits) compared to others in similar jobs that aren’t supported by a union (What are the Benefits, 2012). Also, due to collective bargaining and terms that are set forth in wage agreements from the onset, union workers tend to get more frequent and higher …show more content…
These four standards include freedom of association and the right to organize, freedom from forced labor, elimination from child labor that is harmful to the child or interferes with schooling, and nondiscrimination in employment (Robertson, 2012). Although most foreign countries have adopted these standards, some have found ways to shirk them. In such instances, unions may continue to be an important avenue to affect working conditions abroad. Globalization could increase unionization if industries with higher union rates expand abroad as a result of globalization. For an increase to occur, foreign companies would have to welcome unions, which they may not do if they’re not operating on the “up and up”. However, if unions increase productivity, reduce turnover, or create a positive public image, then they may be more apt to welcome them into the organization. Since labor unions are a product of the United States, the foreign organizations are not held to the same formal union standards. Whether a union is needed or not is primarily relative to the nation and their willingness to conform to the ILO’s core labor standards. My personal belief is that if the conditions that made labor unions necessary in the past still exist in the United States today then the chances of them existing abroad is equally high if not