Trade Union Foreign Policy - Assignment Example

After passing the National Labor Relations Act, the employees were given the power to join and form labor unions.

TRADE UNION

The Trade unions have the mandate of conducting strikes against employers. The strike is considered to be the last option, but when negotiations reach an impasse, the strike is taken to be the only bargaining instrument for the workers. The trade unions are divided into industrial and craft unions. Craft union is composed of employees that perform a specific trade like printers, carpenters, and plumbers. In the US, craft unions are represented by various national organizations. In the 1930s, various AFL unions that seek a national organization of workers came up with the Committee for Industrial Organization. The CIO organized all the industrial workers working with rubber plants, steel, and automobile. Membership in trade unions has been on a descending trend since 1950. This has led to a decline in the number of employees found in the manufacturing sector. In 1995, the union membership comprised 15% of the workforce. This is compared with 34.7% that was in 1954 (Harrod, 1972).