Labor unions have been around for centuries. Starting with Samuel Gompers and others, the labor movement was started. Labor Day, an important day for honoring workers, was started because Peter McGuire in 1882 when 10,000 workers in New York City marched, which was sponsored by the Knights of Labor. Overall, in my opinion, labor unions are a good thing because strikes and collective bargaining help the people fight for what they believe they should get with their jobs. In most cases, people support and join labor unions to change something that is wrong with their workplace, from better wages, benefits and working conditions. When things are not just, they have a chance to make it right through several different methods. One method for blue and white-collar workers is collecting bargaining. Collecting bargaining is when the union and company management meet to negotiate a contract. A typical contract last between 2-5 years and cover over hundreds of issues in the workplace. People who are not part of a labor union do not have an option like that. …show more content…
Strikes are a work stoppage intended to force employers to address demands the workers have. Even though strikes have both positives and negatives, it still shows that they will not give up on what they believe in. If the strikes continue for a long time, employers are known to fire those on strike and hire workers who will not join a labor union. Even more, while they are on strike, they are not getting paid and that could hurt their financial situations at home. However, despite the dark side of strikes, there are still some long term benefits. Workers on strikes who do not work for a series of days, could run the company out of business because they do not have enough people to work and keep up. Also, union members on strike can get payment from leaders so they are making some money for the time