Collective bargaining

Imagine going to work everyday for over twelve hours with only a thirty minute break, and only getting paid two dollars per week. For many working class americans in the late nineteenth century this was a reality. As a result of the injustice placed on the working class new literary movements arose, including the muckrakers. The muckrakers sought to highlight the social issues plaguing the country. One of the most prominent muckrakers during this time was Theodore Dreiser. He is well known for…

In the book, Three Strikes: Miners, Musicians, Salesgirls, and the Fighting Spirit of Labor’s Last Century, Howard Zinn, Dana Frank, and Robin D.G. Kelley tell the compelling and intriguing stories of the working class throughout the 20th century. Howard Zinn tells the gruesome story of the Ludlow Massacre and the politics of corporate power. Dana Frank tells the story of the not very well known sit in strike organized by the “counter girls” at one of the largest companies in America. Lastly,…

“Employment-at-Will is a a doctrine in which both the employee and the employer can terminate the relationship at time and for any legally permissible reason, or for no reason at all” (Cihon, 2014). Exceptions to employment-at-will includes whistleblowers, public policy exception and implied employment contracts. A whistleblower is an employee who reports his/her employer’s illegal activities to the appropriate governmental entity or, under some state statutes, to the board of directors or…

In “Defining, Conceptualizing, and Theorizing Terrorism”, author Asafa Jalata says it is impossible to adequately define and understand all forms of terrorism until one recognizes that it has been an integral part of “the global capitalist system since the late fifteenth century” (9). He goes on to say although there are people that are able to live in peaceful coexistence with other groups, history shows that since time “immemorial” certain individuals, groups, and organizations have engaged in…

A Change in Economy A Political Scientist, Cas Mudde wrote, "Many observers have noted that populism is inherent to representative democracy; after all, do populists not juxtapose the pure people against the corrupt elite?" In the late 1800s, at the time of the Gilded Age – an era of economic growth and development -- monopolies dominated the economy, and the wealthy controlled the working class. Subsequently, due to the advanced technology and brilliant inventions that overtook manpower, and…

IKEA, a well-known furniture company, opened a U.S. factory in Danville, Virginia. Residents of the town were thrilled to hear this at first because it was thought to be bringing good, well-paying jobs. A few years after the plant opened the employees for IKEA were pissed off and wanted to form a union. The workers complained about the “eliminated raises (Los Angeles Times) and also “mandatory overtime. Several said it's common to find out on Friday evening that they'll have to pull a weekend…

In the early 1900s employers hire people to spy on workers in unions and report back to them with information on what was going on. The Wagner act of 1935, also known as the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), was created by Senator Robert R. Wagner and signed into action by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt in July of 1935. President Roosevelt and the Wagner Act had an immense influence on the labor movement and the American work force we know today. Before the NLRH employers had monarch…

During World War I there was an increase in strikes that allowed employees to get higher wages and better conditions. However, after the war unions started to weaken due to considerable high wages for the time period. After the war, many soldiers came back looking for work. This caused various employees to not fight for better wages because there was always a possibility that the soldiers who came home can take their jobs. Another factor that caused workers to not fight was the cost of living,…

Employees Who Strike There are many employees who have not carried on their education after high school. Those individuals make a living by working in service industries. Most service industries treat their employees well, yet others work their staff members tirelessly. Individuals working long hours who get paid minimum wage, have to keep a budget in their daily life. This causes many issues for laborers working long hours to support their family. In personal opinion employees should not start…

I have experience working in both unionized and non-unionized hospitals as an RN and have first-hand knowledge to the pro’s and con’s of both. Unions date back to the 1880’s where working conditions were deplorable, dangerous, and without much financial or position stability (Goldsteen, Goldsteen, & Dwelle, 2015). Workers banded together represented by fearless leaders to ensure safe conditions and job security in the workplace. Unions have guidelines that organizations must follow in order to…