The Role of Unions in Advancing Equality and Promoting Diversity in the Workplace - Essay Example

The Role of Unions in Advancing Equality and Promoting Diversity in the Workplace Overview of the role of Unions A trade union is an organization of human resources or workers who have come together so as to achieve common goals, which include safeguarding of their trade’s honesty, increasing number of employees hired, and achieving pay increase. Trade unions were in the beginning formed to help get workers together to make sure they obtain better working environments, they still exist to this day, but their goals have changed. Trade unions began in Europe and subsequently became popular during the industrial revolution, this is due to the fact that there was the lack of necessary skills required to perform most jobs (Blanpain 2011). This lack of skills moved the bargaining power of employment completely to the employers’ region, thus causing workers to be badly treated and poorly paid. Trade union organizations might be made up of professionals, students, the unemployed, apprentices, past workers and individual workers. Major unions strive to provide the best for the members of the company, this include job security, positive work environment, ability to strike in the event that certain conditions are not adequately met, and salaries and benefits (Cornelius 2002). Larger unions participate politically so as to be influential in legislations that will benefit the represented companies and employees. This may be seen through unions endorsing leaders who promise to have the issues addressed. Unions do have a substantial impact on a compensation and work lives of non-unionized and unionized workers. Unions do raise wages of its unionized workers by roughly 20% and also compensation, including wages and benefits by about 28%. Wage inequality is also reduced by unions due to the fact that unions do raise wages more for low and middle income workers than for higher income workers, more for workers in the blue collar industry than for their white collar counterparts, and more for workers without a college degree, thus reducing the margin between the highly paid workers and those lowly paid (David 2001). A standard pay is set by strong unions that non union employers do follow. For instance, a graduate from high school who is in an un-unionized workplace, but whose industry happens to be 25% unionized is paid around 5% more than a worker similar to him working in less unionized industries. Impact of unions upon total non union income is to some level as large as that on total union income. Fringe benefits happen to be the most sweeping advantage for unionized laborers (Freeman and Medoff 1984) Unionized works stand a higher chance of receiving paid leave than their nonunionized counterparts, unionized workers are 18% to 28% more likely to have their employers provide health insurance and are approximately 23% to 54% more likely to be included by their employers in pension plans. Unionized workers do receive more health benefits than their non-unionized counterparts. Unionized workers do pay 18% lower healthcare and a small share of the cost for family coverage. In retirement, unionized laborers stand a 24% more chance of being covered by health insurance paid by the employer. Better pension plans are enjoyed by unionized workers. Their employers do contribute 28% more towards their pension, more vacation time and more total paid leave is enjoyed by unionized workers (Blanpain 2011). Unions play an important role in securing legislated labor protection and rights and in enforcing the rights at its member’s work places. Due to unionized workers being more informed through their unions, they stand a higher chance of benefitting from social insurance programs like unemployment insurance and workers compensation. Workplace equality Unions do play a central role in promoting equality at the workplace. Unions promote equality by monitoring the happenings in the workplace, and also ensuring fair practices in the process of recruiting employees as well as in promoting the workers within the workplace. There should be partiality in the process of recruiting and promoting workers. They also make sure the gap between the highly paid workers, and those lowly paid in the organization (Freeman and Medoff 1984). Unions do play a big role in making sure fairness is practiced. Unions also do workplace bargaining by negotiating and enforcing favorable agreements with employers that do promote equal handling for all workers. This is usually achieved through policy/practice development that helps foster equality and avoids a situation where one group is unproportionality disadvantaged. In addition, unions do create a supportive atmosphere at its member’s workplace and within the union where all the members feel they can take part, and their views are appreciated. For instance, when challenging harassment instances and discrimination, and by ensuring complaints are dealt with effectively. Some unions have trained workplace equality representatives and made provision in their rule books for them. These representatives act as “equality eyes” in the workplace. They help raise awareness of equality issues, and are a reassuring presence for colleagues facing discrimination or harassment. Also, they look out for areas where employers infringe on the employees rights, and report back to the main union office for action to be taken (Cornelius 2002). Union Wage Premiums and Inequality Unions have raised salaries for low-skilled workers than for high skilled workers. Unions reduce wage inequalities. Moreover, unions standardize salaries by reducing differentials within, and across job positions; enabling low-skilled workers receive larger premiums as compared to nonunion wage alternative (Freeman 1980). Salaries inequalities are reduced by unions through the fact that they raise salaries more at the lower, and the middle of the scale than at the top. Unionization helps lessen wage, which is evident through studies done, for instance, some studies show that lack of unity may be responsible for at least 20% of the increased gap in wage inequality (Mishel and Walter 2003). Steep declines in unionization among non-college educated men and blue collar job men led to a raise in occupational wage gaps. Additionally, studies show that lack of unity is responsible for 50% of the wage gap growth between workers with high school education and those with a college education (Freeman 1980). Union Norms and Labor Standards There are a number of ways that unions’ use to impact on salaries that go way beyond the workers covered by the collective bargaining agreements, and also extend to non union salaries and labor practices. For instance, in industries and regions where a strong core of workplaces are unionized, non union employers will occasionally meet union standards or sometimes improve their compensation or practices related to labor, which they would not have provided if it were not for unions (Greene et al 2005). A general mechanism by which unions do have an affect non union pay and practice is the exercise of norms and practice that have ended up becoming widespread. Thus, improving working conditions and pay for the entire work force. These practices and norms have benefited around 70% of workers lacking college education. Many non union workplaces have adapted the union grievance procedures, which provide due process in the workplace. In light with this, wage for unions has established standards for what workers should expect from their employers. Unions and Workplace Protection A large number of regulations and labor laws protect workers in the labor market and the workplace. For instance, national labor relations Act, occupational safety and health Act of 1970, social security act of 1935 and family medical leave Act of 1993, labor unions has played an extensive role in securing labor legislation, and standard and enforcing workplace regulations. Union members have been provided for labor protection in three ways. Unions have been a workers voice, identifying where regulations and laws are required and have been instrumental in the process of enacting these laws. Unions do provide information to its members about their rights and available programmes (Greene et al 2005). Union members have been encouraged to exercise workplace rights and take part in programmes that reduce employer retribution fear; aiding members go through necessary guidelines and enabling the handling of workers right disputes. Unions have played a big role in the enactment process of a wide range of labor laws and regulations touching on areas as diverse as minimum wage, health and retirement coverage, overtime pay, the treatment of immigrant workers, civil rights, workers compensation, unemployment insurance, and leave for care of newborns and sick family members (Mishel and Paula 1992). Equality Gender equality is a fundamental human right. As the years pass, more women are taking up jobs in the formal sector away from their homes. Gender remains a main source of labor market discrimination; women are often discriminated against based on their sex, marital status or family responsibility. Trade unions are fighting against this kind of discrimination by recognizing collective bargains as an important mechanism that will aid in eliminating wage inequalities for women and improve their working conditions. Thus, through promotion there is election of more women to be trade union officials. Unions have been giving priority to women workers who are targeted for employment. Unions have been also trying to increase female representation in leadership positions. Efforts within the unions and policies are vital due to the fact that unless women are adequately represented in the executive, the union cannot claim to have the best interests of the women workers at heart (Greene et al 2005). Unions also help in promoting diversity within the work place through several ways, which may include, unions working together with other unions and employers. Working with employers adds credibility and sustainability to trade union’s initiatives. Joint working portrays the image that discrimination is not welcome within the work place and thus has to be shunned. Working together is probably the best tool to prevent the occurrence in the first instance in that discrimination will not be tolerated by the parties involved. A good example is the union and employers (Freeman and Medoff 1984). Through working with NGO’s, trade unions are exposed to new ideas, which are beneficial to the members of the union, and also helps the union handle emerging issues professionally. It also shows that unions together with others take part in helping to create an anti-discrimination culture throughout society, and ends up giving the unions higher and more positive profile. Cooperating closely with other trade unions, help generate new forms of organizing that foster the advantages of trade union unity. Additionally, unions are developing new organizational structures that do reflect the needs and aspirations of newer members (David 2001). Unemployment Insurance Unemployment insurance (UI) is a joint program that was included in the social security act to provide income replacement to workers who were losing their jobs through circumstances beyond them. Most unemployed workers do not file for Unemployment Insurance due to the fact that they are not sure if they are eligible to receive the help, and also fear repercussions from potential employers. Through unions, workers are provided with information about benefit expectations, rules, and procedures and also dispel any stigma that might be tied to receiving social benefit (David 2001). Additionally, unions help in negotiating workers contracts, between them and employers and also protection against firing without a good sensible reason. Moverer, the union salary differential helps reduce the likelihood of an unemployed worker being ineligible for benefits due to their pay being too low. It is estimated that the likelihood of unemployed blue-collar worker affiliated to a union getting the unemployed insurance benefits is roughly 23%. Workers Compensation There are laws governing workers compensation, which generally form insurance systems in the event of a worker getting injured or becoming ill at work. The employer is liable, regardless of fault but is also protected and cannot be sued by the employee. Due to lack of information by the workers on their eligibility and lack of the knowhow on how the procedure is undertaken, most workers fail to enjoy the full benefits of compensation. Through unions, the workers are able to get the necessary information that may allow them to file for claims from their employers (Mishel and Walter 2003). Hence, unions has highlighted some of the advantages enjoyed by unionized workers as a result of collective bargaining and union organization: more and better benefits, higher wages, effective utilization of insurance programs, and effective enforcement of legislated labor protection, i.e. health, safety and overtime regulation. Unions set pay standards and practices that help raise wages of workers who are non-unionized, but are in occupations or industries with a strong union presence (Freeman and Medoff 1984). Collective bargaining does fuel innovations in benefits, wages and work practices that end up affecting both non unionized and unionized workers. Bibliography: Blanpain, R., 2011 Trade union rights at the workplace. New York: Kluwer Law International. Cornelius, N., 2002. Building workplace equality: ethics, diversity and inclusion. London: engage Learning EMEA. David, C., 2001. The effect of unions on wage inequality in the U.S labor market. Industrial and Labor relations review, 54, 24-46. Freeman, R and Medoff, J., 1984. What do unions do? New York: Basic books. Freeman, R. B., 1980. Unionism and the dispersion within establishment. Industrial and labor relations review, 34, 13-41. Greene, A. M., et al., 2005. Trade union perspectives on diversity management: A comparison of the UK and Denmark. European Journal of Industrial relations. 11 (2), 179-196. Mishel, L and Paula, V., 1992. Unions and economic competitiveness Armonk: M.E. Sharpe. Mishel, L and Walter, M., 2003. How unions help all workers. London: Economic policy Institute. Read More