Should The Nation's Workers Be Allowed To Work?

Why do we not have slaves in America anymore? Why are children not allowed to work? Why are women allowed to work? America has an important labor history. From the efforts to gain freedom for slaves, to the strikes during the industrial revolution, to providing equal chances for men and women, many citizens have fought for what they believed was morally correct and best for the laboring people. Through these historical moments, protectors of the nation’s laborers arose and created systems for the safety and benefit of each working man or woman. One of these protectors of the nation’s laborers is widely known as the union. From discussing unions from a historical perspective with my sister, I believe the union used to be essential protectors

My sister, Kayla, writes historical fiction and is particularly interested in union history, so she has done extensive research on how unions have helped laborers in the past. Laborers who have benefited from unions range from miners in the Upper Peninsula to women textile factory workers in New York. These diverse workers originally went on strike for union recognition because without it, the companies wouldn’t have to hold to their agreements to shorter workdays, safer working conditions, injury compensation, and not firing workers for discriminatory reasons. Without the union, companies would make promises to their striking workers, but the poor working conditions would quickly resume as soon as the workers ended the

The union has set specific seniority rules that are applied to anyone who wants to apply for a new job in my brother’s company. The seniority rules mean that whenever individuals apply for a new job, the length of time they have been working for the company is the key to a new job position, not the qualifications or skill of said employees. Christopher applied for a new position within the company, but because of the seniority rules, he had and continues to have immense difficulty. Even though his work statistics are far superior to several other employees who have seniority, the person who has been in the company longer always gets priority. Performance bows to seniority every time. Following the seniority rule, there is another rule: if two employees have been working for the same length of time, the person with the higher final four digits of the social security number receives the job. For example, Christopher and another employee were hired at the same time, and both applied to the same position. As a result of the fact that my brother and another employee were hired at the same time, the company looked at the last four digits of the two employee’s social security numbers. Again, performance statistics mean nothing in this situation, because the union “neutralizes” the playing field so that every worker is