Labor Unions Are Necessary to Protect Workers Rights
Introduction
Good morning madam chairman, ladies and gentlemen. Today I will persuade you that labor unions are necessary to protect workers’ rights. This paper will examine how labor unions brought about changes in the work place thus protecting the rights of its workers. There four worker’s rights that I would like to expand upon. First is the 40 hour work week. Secondly is the 8 hour work day. Thirdly is the employees’ occupational safety and health. Lastly is the Civil Rights Act of 1964 Title Vll.
History
What is a labor union? According to the American Heritage Dictionary (2006) defines a labor union as “an organization of wage earners formed for the purpose of serving …show more content…
The company owners had locked the doors in an attempt to keep workers from leaving. This was known as the Triangle Shirtwaist Company fire. (ushistory.org/us/37asp) After the disastrous 1911 Triangle shirtwaist company fire things began to change in the work place labor laws were passed. In 1936 a young girl who tried to hand President D. Roosevelt an envelope was rebuffed by the police. President Roosevelt insisted to an aide that he get the note. The note described working conditions in a local sewing factory, where she and 200 other people worked. Their pay had been cut from eleven to as little as four dollars per week. President Roosevelt said “something has to be done about the elimination of long hours and starvation wages. Congress passed a law a year and a half later, and President Roosevelt signed it. The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), was in effect. This meant that employers could no longer work employees as long as they wanted and pay the employees as little as the employers wanted. ( http://eds.a.ebscohost.com the fair labor standard act) It did not come easy, though President Roosevelt had to overcome resistance from many in the business community. Politicians-Democrats especially depended on organized labor’s support during elections, and consulted closely with labor leaders when devising policy in office (what the union no longer do ( Introduction) The 40 hour work …show more content…
Unions such as the American Federation of Labor (AFL) and the Fair Labor Standard Act (FLSA). They say that these organizations are no longer needed because they were created for those who worked on farms and in the fields and in factories and not for those who work in corporate America today. It may also be said that no one hardly strikes any more, and the ones that do does not have any victories for the workers. Others may say that the decline of the strike and the loss of members has reduced the effectiveness of the existing unions. Let us not look at the negative aspects of unions but let us focus on the positive impact of the organization. It is true that union membership has fallen starting in the 1970 and 1980 and continue to do so to this day. On the whole, for generations now the labor movement has stood as the most prominent and effective voice for economic justice in the United States (What the Union No Longer Do pg.5) With help of unions many struck, while millions of Americans supported these strikes an equal amount did not. However, no one could ignore these strikes. Who could ignore 146 people who died, people like you and I. Someone’s father, mother, brother, sister, aunt, uncle grandmother, grandfather, husband, wife. People who needed to work in order to take care for themselves and their families. People who wanted to work because they believed in the American dream. A
Introduction
Good morning madam chairman, ladies and gentlemen. Today I will persuade you that labor unions are necessary to protect workers’ rights. This paper will examine how labor unions brought about changes in the work place thus protecting the rights of its workers. There four worker’s rights that I would like to expand upon. First is the 40 hour work week. Secondly is the 8 hour work day. Thirdly is the employees’ occupational safety and health. Lastly is the Civil Rights Act of 1964 Title Vll.
History
What is a labor union? According to the American Heritage Dictionary (2006) defines a labor union as “an organization of wage earners formed for the purpose of serving …show more content…
The company owners had locked the doors in an attempt to keep workers from leaving. This was known as the Triangle Shirtwaist Company fire. (ushistory.org/us/37asp) After the disastrous 1911 Triangle shirtwaist company fire things began to change in the work place labor laws were passed. In 1936 a young girl who tried to hand President D. Roosevelt an envelope was rebuffed by the police. President Roosevelt insisted to an aide that he get the note. The note described working conditions in a local sewing factory, where she and 200 other people worked. Their pay had been cut from eleven to as little as four dollars per week. President Roosevelt said “something has to be done about the elimination of long hours and starvation wages. Congress passed a law a year and a half later, and President Roosevelt signed it. The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), was in effect. This meant that employers could no longer work employees as long as they wanted and pay the employees as little as the employers wanted. ( http://eds.a.ebscohost.com the fair labor standard act) It did not come easy, though President Roosevelt had to overcome resistance from many in the business community. Politicians-Democrats especially depended on organized labor’s support during elections, and consulted closely with labor leaders when devising policy in office (what the union no longer do ( Introduction) The 40 hour work …show more content…
Unions such as the American Federation of Labor (AFL) and the Fair Labor Standard Act (FLSA). They say that these organizations are no longer needed because they were created for those who worked on farms and in the fields and in factories and not for those who work in corporate America today. It may also be said that no one hardly strikes any more, and the ones that do does not have any victories for the workers. Others may say that the decline of the strike and the loss of members has reduced the effectiveness of the existing unions. Let us not look at the negative aspects of unions but let us focus on the positive impact of the organization. It is true that union membership has fallen starting in the 1970 and 1980 and continue to do so to this day. On the whole, for generations now the labor movement has stood as the most prominent and effective voice for economic justice in the United States (What the Union No Longer Do pg.5) With help of unions many struck, while millions of Americans supported these strikes an equal amount did not. However, no one could ignore these strikes. Who could ignore 146 people who died, people like you and I. Someone’s father, mother, brother, sister, aunt, uncle grandmother, grandfather, husband, wife. People who needed to work in order to take care for themselves and their families. People who wanted to work because they believed in the American dream. A