Trade Unionism In The Workplace

Social and economic organization within the capitalist society have shaped power relationships between employees and their employers. Employers control the majority of economic power in society due to the ownership of the means of production along with workers reliance on their wages for subsistence. Unions are essential in regaining some of that lost economic power, and the strength of numbers has led to workers making advancements in wages and working conditions. However, unions success has been countered by capitalists through neoliberal policies that facilitate offshoring and increased competition for workers. The instability of job security has derailed unions mightily, and their dependence on their employers for survival has limited the

Samuel Gompers, the founder, and former president of the American Federation of Labor (AFL) from 1886 to 1894 advocated for the priorities of the wage-worker. Gompers believed “first things must come first” (Gompers, [], p. 30), wherein the role of trade unions is to ensure wage-workers receive protection. Both by increasing his wages, as well as securing a reduction in the long workday, and other conditions about safety and sanitation of workshops (Gompers, [], p. 31). Bread and butter trade unionism, works with the lines of least resistance, attempting to improve conditions of working people “today and tomorrow, and each day making it a better day than the one that had gone before” (Gompers, [], p. 32). Trade unions can improve their conditions and wages through the organization of their workers to a collective group. Perlman comments on the nature of unionism being collectivistic and individualistic, due to individual workers sacrificing their interests for the preferred interests of the collectivity. However, unionism is individualistic in the sense of ensuring a decent livelihood, economic security, and protecting workers from tyranny from their bosses (Perlman, [], p. 167). With bread and butter unionism focusing on providing ‘bread and butter’ for families at the dinner table, efforts towards broader change have proven to be

While the wage-labour framework exists within society, bread and butter unionism is the most we can expect from unions. The ownership of private property and the means of production creates a power imbalance that capitalists hold over workers. In a society where the working class is dependent on their wages for survival, it is difficult for unions as well as the working class to commit fully to revolutionary change due to capitalist ideals embedded within society. Because individualism reigns true in capitalism, the interests of the individual worker will always be superior to the objectives of the collective workers. Notably, neoliberal policies such as free trade agreements and back-to-work legislation have increased competition for employed positions as well as precarious work. The security of union members jobs lowers through government legislation, and the over looming pressure of one’s employer outsourcing their labour abroad negates union members to commit to a social or political movement entirely. The wage-labour system crutches unions abilities to organize their members for broader changes, hence the legislation and structure of our capitalist society restricts unions to fight for anything more than the prototypical bread and butter