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The Pros And Cons Of Labor Unions

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Unions provide a sense of protection and job security to workers because the union has the final say in discipline and dismissal issues. Unions have a grievance process, which allows the employees to address any disputes they may have in the workplace. This procedure allows the employee to have a voice and again instilling that sense of protection they have within the company. Turnover is less common in unionized environments because employees enjoy the protection and security unions bring. Additionally, being a union worker means that a union representative is available to work with you if an issue were to arise. Having a representative can ease the feelings of nerves or vulnerability when meeting with the boss or HR professional, as they …show more content…

According to the article “What’s Going On With The Labor Unions Of Today” by Maura Falk, compensation has a huge impact on unionized workers. Wages for union workers have remained higher than those of non-union workers for about 14 years. For example, a typical union worker made about 27% more in 2014 than a non-union worker (Falk). Also, since union workers have the rights to collective bargaining, which establish clear pay and wage terms, union workers see more pay raises on a consistent basis than those of their non-union counterparts (UWUA). Along with higher wages, union workers also reap better benefits. According to the U.S Department of Labor, “77 percent of union workers receive a pension plan after retirement, compared to only 20 percent of non-union workers.” Again, having that collective bargaining agreement with union representatives allows for union workers to earn these better benefits. Furthermore, according to the report from Cengage titled “Labor Unions and Collective Bargaining”, mostly all union workers, 92 percent, have medical benefits compared to about 70 percent of non-union workers. On average, 91 percent of union workers had their health premiums paid by the company compared to 80 percent for non-union workers. Similarly, 83 percent of union members had access to employer-based life insurance but only 59 percent for non-union workers. Finally, 82 percent of union members had paid sick leave compared to 63 percent of non-union members

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Most trade or labor unions were initially formed to bring workers together to petition and receive work environments more favorable to the workers. Their strength lied in numbers as the management was unlikely to fight against the masses. However, these days, many major unions such as the AFL-CIO, today work to create and make available the top benefits for members of a company. Some of this include includes the areas of positive work environments, job security, pay and benefits, and the capacity to go on strike if certain conditions are not met. Meanwhile, larger unions additionally work politically to influence legislation that will continue to create benefits for the companies that are represented along with its employees.

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Unions are concerned with affordable healthcare acts affects their ability to increase union membership, and the ability to maintain union dues. Additional costs associated with affordable healthcare act cannot be passed to members, directly or indirectly. Negotiating the increased costs may offset wage negotiations in the future. Unions are not happy with the outcome of the affordable healthcare act (iam141, 2010, pp. 1-3). Union members and union leaders were generally in support of the Affordable Healthcare act during its development.

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The union would help to make for more sanitized, safer work environments (“Labor Movement”, n.d.). They helped the workers gain better pay, shorter hours, and an overall happier work environment. All geared toward the laborer, not the employer for a change. At times, the union would organize strikes to try to make the employer do what they wanted; however, at this time they rarely succeeded, as do now. Some employees were met with opposition from the owners or management of the industries almost to an intimidation standpoint so not to join, in which grew worse if they did join.

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Rather than the general "right to work," unionization most adequately benefits the population as a whole since it raises annual wages for all workers, creates a safer working environment, and allows for better benefits. One reason that the United States should enact a law requiring all states to enforce unionization is that all workers wages would rise. According to Economic Policy Institute in a study from 2003, union members annually make 20% more than their nonunion

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I agree with you Hannah. I think that unionization and therefore, collective bargaining definitely benefits nursing and more importantly the patients. One advantage that as a nurse I find beneficial is the fact that nurses who are apart of a union tend to have higher wages (Sojourner, Frandsen, Town, Grabowski, & Chen, 2015). This attracts more nurses and helps with the nursing shortage in organizations who have unionized nursing contracts. Not to mention they tend to stay at the organization longer.

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Unions have also helped fight for benefits given to employees and their families like health insurance and retirement plans. Liberals also support unions because they have helped increase safety in the workplace. Unions have protected workers from long work hours and unsafe conditions. People are able to keep the power when unions exist. Workers are able to fight for what they want and still be protected by the union without having the fear of being fired without a

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The way that the Union has affected my life is by giving my father improved and safe working conditions, improving the hours they work, and giving them higher wages than non-union workers. With my dad being a part of the Union he is able to provide our family with our health insurance that is needed for our family. They also give my dad a safe place to go to work so he can come home to us after work every night. One other thing that helps me and affects me is the wages he gets from the Union without these wages we would not be able to survive or function in society. This is the most important thing that I am most thankful for the Union is that they give my father the wages that are needed to provide for our family.

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Although unions may not have been directly responsible for the passing of these laws, their impact certainly brought the deplorable conditions of numerous companies into the sight of the public. In addition, unions provide and continue to provide consistent benefits for their members. The EPI expresses that union members are significantly more likely to receive health insurance from their employers, as well as pension plans and paid vacations (Walters, Mishel). Maternity and sickness leaves are also a vast improvement from the callous, uncompassionate business leadership of the past. Unquestionably, unions have improved the working situations of the everyday employee both in the past and the

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Labor unions are an important part of the working world and the nation’s history. Although workers went on strike several times throughout the late 1600s and 1700s, the first formal unions did not come about until the late 1700s and beyond. The early unions sought higher wages, shorter workdays, fair and safe workplaces, and more for workers through contract negotiation with employers. Essentially, the unions provided a voice for employees to improve their lives both on and off the job. These rights and protections helped to create a safer, more stable, and productive workforce, allowing employees to provide better services and produce better products.

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Despite the cons of unions overall they help not only the employees but also the

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Since the Industrial Revolution, unions have often been credited with securing improvements in working conditions and wages. Many unions were formed in manufacturing and resource companies, companies operating in steel mills, textile

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However, there are various negative effects of labor unions. Decreased growth, Labor unions bring in the increased salaries and benefits package for all the workers. However, due to this, the costs for the company per year increases and reaches above market levels. This way, the company is not able to utilize that money for the firm’s growth and new projects and hence it reduces the growth. Also, it effects the hiring process by slowing it down.

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CHAPTER FIVE "Hey, queer," has become the first thing I discern when I ambulate into school every morning. I don't understand their obsession with calling me that, but I think they've realized how much it frustrates me, and that's why they keep at it still. So when they call me by that incoherent slur, everyone in the vicinity always laughs as I hurry away, endeavoring to evade the path my mother had taken when dealing with her own bully. It's not worth it, I keep telling myself.

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The negative effects of Labor Unions from an employer’s perspective are that it is hard to get rid of the employees that are not doing his or her job, since they are so protected by the union. This creates a long process that the employer must go through in order to get rid of those employees. Due to having to raise the wages and benefits, managers from an organization will have to face budget issues. This could make products and services more expensive in order to cover those wages, or it could even result in the destruction of the company causing everyone to lose their jobs. From an employee’s perspective, becoming a member of a union can be expensive.

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It also brings significant productivity benefits for companies. 4.2 Ensure workplaces are safe Trade unions representatives help to lower accident tares atwork by ensuring safe working practices and reducing stress related ill health caused, for example, working long hours being bullied or working in poor quality environments. Unionized workplaces are safer work places which has the added benefits for employers of significantly reducing employers of significantly reducing the cost of ill health and accidents. 4.3.

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