Role of Labor Unions in Modern States - Essay Example

Role of Labor Unions in Modern s Today, labor unions play pivotal role in the socio-economic and political activities of every democratic nation. Labor unions are highly concerned about the workplace safety and welfare of employees and therefore negotiate reasonable advantages with the employers. However, the recent economic recession has increased job uncertainty and labor insecurity more than ever before. Organizations’ new approach toward their employees’ retention is highly suspicious for its leaving the workers at a high risk of termination. Employers are targeting specific individual groups that would align with their business goals. Although post World War political scenario in the US witnessed remarkable growth of labor unions, their prominence has been diminishing for the past few decades. However, the existence of labor unions seems democratic and they have undeniable role in forming welfare policies in a modern state. To begin with, ‘a labor union is a group of workers who have chosen to band together to promote their common interests.’ (Mauer, 2001 p.5). Although the structure of unions varies, their common interests are almost same; they stand for pay rise, occupational safety; prevention of unfair dismissal etc. ‘Collective bargaining’ is the strength of a labor union which helps workers to negotiate their demands with their employers. Although the structure and decision making process vary from union to union, there are certain basic features that all unions have in common. “The heart and soul of any union is its members, and they are pulled together by a network of first-line union representatives” (Mauer, p.13). Some unions are independent and only involve in there own workplace issues. They choose their own leaders in workplace, design strategies, and take collective actions according to the circumstances. In contrast, there are many unions which have affiliation with big labor organizations. They will have many different levels of organizational order such as local, regional, state and central committees. American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) is a good example of such big labor organizations. Unlike the simple workplace unions, these big groups are powerful enough to mobilize public interests on specific labor issues and they may collaborate with other organizations for making collective bargaining more effective. In most of the modern democratic countries employees have legal rights to organize, participate or propagate labor union activities. Today they are not merely proposed to the basic pay rise negotiation. Obviously labor unions are closely associated with political parties and moreover they often succeed to influence the agenda of political parties according to their interests. Mauer purports that labor unions need to lobby for workplace health and safety laws; and moreover, they may have political action committee (PAC) (Mauer, p.114). Labor class is one of the strong vote banks that every political party is highly concerned about. This weight enables them to demand favorable legislations that would safeguard workers’ privileges. For instance, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) is an independent agency created by Congress in 1935 to administer the National Labor Relations Act. This Act protects employees’ rights to organize new unions and to bargain collectively with their employers and simultaneously forbids employers’ interference in the activities of the employees. In addition, the Civil Rights movement in the 1950s and 1960s was strongly supported and funded by AFL-CIO which later led to the Civil Right legislation. All these examples prove the undeniable role of labor unions in politics. Labor unions hold significant role in determining the socio-economic status of the common people. Unions bargain for safe working condition and wages on behalf of the working individuals. Irrespective of the class, rank or sector, unions establish big alliance of millions of men and women who are fighting together for the common interests. The influence of unions has changed the traditional concept of employer-employee relationship. Unions’ power to strike promotes timely action/negotiation with government and employers. Obviously, strikes have their own pros and corns. Although employees’ agitation invites swift and sure actions, on the other hand, unreasonable demands for pay rise and other privileges adversely affect many industries. The notable social benefit that labor unions have brought about is the high level of awareness among the employees about their rights and privileges. Besides, unions would enhance team work and productivity in workplace. Mauer describes the impact of labor unions on society by evaluating the difference between non-union setting and union setting. “In a non-union setting, the employer enforces the rules however he sees fit; in a union setting workers have a procedure in place to respond to unfair enforcement of rules, even to the point of having an outside, neutral arbitrator decide who is right” (Mauer, p.7). As mentioned earlier, power to strike is the major tool the labor organizations use to bargain with the employers. Union enters into contract with employers on various work related issues and further receives complaints from the members if any breach of contracts or illegal actions is reported. Besides strike, they many depend on other alternatives like influencing legislation, exercising political pressure, seeking legal advice, arbitration etc. Likewise, in order to carry out the socio-economic and political roles union members sacrifice individual interests and sometimes even risk their job. Along with the members’ active participation, new joining and membership retention are important factors for maximizing the strength of union. In contrast, growth of labor unions would compel employers to join together to defend their interests and to defeat the employees’ agitation in every way possible. Therefore, union members should be cautious about the inducement that the employers would offer to weaken their movement. A disappointed employer can either leave the job or agitate against the employer by joining or forming a union to mobilize collective action. Members must be aware of the common tactics the modern employers might initiate to defeat the establishment of a union. Illegal threats to shut down if the workplace is organized, illegal firing of employees, anti union campaigns, and forcing employees to listen to anti-union propaganda are some of the tactics employers act upon (Mauer, p.112). By entering a union, a member needs to sacrifice his individualism and there by he/she envisages the welfare of the whole association. As an emerging trend, these days many employers reduce the workforce and rely on outsourcing in order to combat labor unions. In the current economic environment, employment uncertainty is tormenting many labor organizations because notable decline in membership has been recorded especially in the United States. Hence, unions have to be more relevant to the present situation while dealing with employment issues. To sum up, labor union performs collective bargaining over wages, benefits, healthcare and working conditions on behalf of all employees. Furthermore, unions have become important political factor by establishing coalition with political parties and other similar interest groups. Modern labor unions have succeeded in organizing millions of men and women who fight for the common interests such as immigrants’ rights, trade policy, healthcare, insurance and other occupational rights of employees. Employees both in public and private sectors have become highly informed of their privileges, and subsequently, employers have lost their power advantage of unfair business operations in their industries. An active union member would ensure that his/her co-workers are also fairly treated by the employer. Works Cited Mauer M., The Union Member’s Complete Guide: Everything you want-and need-to Know about working union. Union Communication Services, Inc. 2001. Read More