Labor Force in the United States - Assignment Example

1. Define labor force and explain how the unemployment rate is calculated. What are the shortcomings of the current methods of measuring labor force participation rate and unemployment? Labor force in the United States is composed of people aged 16 years old or older who are employed, or maybe looking for work. The labor force consists of working age people who are actively employed or seeking employment. Unemployment rate is calculated by dividing the number of unemployed persons with the sum of unemployed persons and employed persons, and multiply this with 100. This means that if in a particular state, there are 10 million unemployed, and 5 million employed individuals, we can solve this by dividing 10 million with 15 million (the sum of 10m plus 5m), and you’ll have a 66% unemployment in the state. Participation rate is solved using the formula: add the number of employed with the number of unemployed, divided by the labor force (which consists of the civilian noninstitutionalized population, 16 year-old individuals and older, not in prison, military, and others), and multiply this with 100. The shortcomings of the current methods of measuring labor force participation rate and unemployment are: Data on globalization, other technological changes and changes in the labor force are very important in measuring labor force participation rate and unemployment, to include the job market, and it seems there is extreme difficulty in getting the availability of accurate data and information, and in analyzing them. Besides surveys are very expensive but are not readily available. Clayton and Mousa (2004, p. 3) state: “The existing array of Federal and State survey-based data series provides key economic information on a timely basis, but does not fully portray the dynamic nature of today’s job market.” This means that it is really hard and difficult to get the real nature of the job market, and therefore the results of surveys and now a part of the database have to portray the real picture of the current labor participation and unemployment. Clayton and Mousa further state that these survey series “do not provide adequate detail, often are not available longitudinally, and cannot illuminate crosscutting issues.” 2. Compare and contrast the perspectives of Marx (Alienated Labour) and Maslow (Hierarchy of Needs). Then answer the question: Is it possible for a worker to be both satisfied and alienated? Man’s alienated labor results from the conditions in the workplace and the very low regard of capital to labor. The object which is the product or the commodity the worker has produced is now greater than the one producing or making it, which is labor or the worker. Objectification is the “loss of and bondage to the object, and appropriation as estrangement, as alienation”. He is now alienated and estranged to his product or object. The workingman becomes detached to what he is doing. He hates what he is doing. He can not dedicate his time, efforts and devotion to labor because the commodity is more valued than he is. As the worker increases more effort, he is reduced to an object in the process, and the object is more valued than himself. Man is alienated from labor because it makes him a slave to labor. That’s why it is called ‘alien’, because it is outside, not himself, the commodity becomes bigger, more important than the worker. The more he works hard, the more he loses for himself. His life becomes not his own now, but to the object he has made. The working man is forced to work for his survival; his family has to eat or to survive, and the salary for his work is the only source for his survival. Although he has to do it, he hates to do it. On the other hand, Maslow’s “hierarchy of needs” states that man’s basic needs should be met first before he can go on and pursue other basic developments as a human being. The basic needs include food, drink, air, sleep and warmth. The initial needs are for survival as a living creature: we have to eat and drink, breath air and feel warmth with roofs over our heads. From our basic needs that are met, we can proceed with the other necessities such as personal safety and security. It is very important in our survival the feeling of being safe and secured, because if we don’t feel this, we can’t pursue other needs in our lives. Then, after safety and security, what follows is the feeling of self esteem or how we feel about ourselves. We need to feel we are respected, we are being valued and have a place in the community or society. What follows is the self-actualisation. This is where all the other needs have been met, and so we can proceed to achieve our true potential, our goals and challenges, or our careers in lives. Man always tries to reach other heights or pursuits that after he has achieved getting the basic needs, he does not stop reaching for more. What is important is to get the basic necessities before all the other pursuits have to be made. The question: Is it possible for a worker to be both satisfied and alienated? The answer is both yes and no. Following Maslow’s ‘hierarchy of needs’, we can say that man can be satisfied if his basic needs are met; that means the needs of food, drink, air and warmth. They can be met with man’s labor. With the present technological age and advancement in the relationship of labor and capital, there are instances that man is satisfied with his labor or the products of his labor. More organizations and businesses of today have revolutionary ways of management and dealing with their employees. Labor and employees are motivated to be part owners of the business they work with, so with that, we can say that man can be satisfied as he work hard for himself and for the advancement and success of the business. On the other hand, if we talk of labor in the past, that is during the industrial revolution, or during the time of Marx (late 1800s), it can never happen that the worker can be alienated and satisfied. He can only be that he is alienated. During those times, there was never satisfaction on the part of the worker. Moreover, man still feels tired and always gets the feeling that work is a burden. That makes him alienated to work. The evolution of work states that work was a punishment for man’s sin, i.e. when Adam was expelled from the Garden of Eden, he was forced to work and sweat in order to feed himself and his family. In our present age, we still feel the burden and the punishment imposed on work. We feel alienated, but when we see the products of our labor, we feel satisfaction. Work, according to Hodson and Sullivan (2008) “is both a salvation and a curse. Work creates wealth and satisfaction; it can also lead to poverty and alienation.” 3. Labor unions are one way in which power and change can come from outside of an organization. List and discuss three (3) ways unions have fought for workers rights. List and discuss three (3) strategies employers have used to resist labor unions. Identify how union membership varies by two (2) of the following: gender, race, region, industry, education and/or full/part-time status. 3 Ways unions have fought for workers rights: 1.) When unions fight for workers rights, they usually form strikes to stop business production. One case is that of the International Ladies Garment Workers Union (ILGWU) which conducted successful ILGWU strikes in New York in 1909. They were able to secure higher wages and shorter hours. “Under the leadership of David Dubinsky (president 1932 – 66), the union grew from 45,000 members to almost half a million” (International Ladies Garment Workers Union, 2008). What is stressed here is the power of labor unions. When they unite and stage strikes, they win; but they have to exert much effort, sometimes sacrificing to the point of hunger and for themselves and their families. 2.) In the UK, “Trade unions welcomed the support of more than 100, mainly Labour, MPs who today backed draft legislation to give temporary and agency workers employment protection” (Trade unions say fight for workers’ rights goes on, 2007) It’s one of the successes of unions when they get together to support legislation. This is done in the UK to support “a bill that would ensure equal treatment for 1.4 million temporary and agency workers.” Legislation is one of the ways unions fight for workers rights without resorting to strikes. 3.) Unions also go the legal way. They go to court backing up some union members’ suits against employers for their rights. Unions have their own legal defense attorneys which they offer to their members for free so that they can fight their way to court in case of complaints that could not be settled out. Not all complaints for workers’ rights are coursed through strikes. Union management and members agree to fight their ways to court. Strikes maybe the last recourse for the workers’ grievances. 3 Strategies employers have used to resist labor unions 1) Employers lobby their way to congress or the lawmakers for laws to back capital up. These laws support employers over labor. Without answering the grievances of labor unions, legitimate laws can support capital, and strikes may become illegal in this sense. 2) Employers also form company unions. These unions are so-called because they are being backed up by employers, albeit secretly, to counter the existing union which is pro-labor, or the one formed by the workers themselves. With two unions within the company, workers’ strength is reduced. ‘Divide and rule’ is the key. 3) Money talk strategy is also used by employers to destroy unions in their business establishments. Employers use their money to bribe “spies” to infiltrate unions; they are then able to know possible moves of the workers, whether they would strike or conduct other “sabotage” measures against the company. How union membership varies: a.) By race – Membership of some unions can be classified through race, like for example the International Ladies Garment Workers Union had for its members mostly Jewish immigrants working sweatshops. The union had its successful strikes in New York in 1909 – 10 for higher wages and shorter hours. (International Ladies Garment Workers Union, 2008) b.) By education – There has been an increasing significance of highly educated professional workers, “who claim special rights and privileges based on their specialized knowledge gained through long periods of study. At the beginning of the twentieth century, only 4% of the labor force in the United States was made up of professional workers… but at the end of the twentieth century, 14% of the labor force is expected to be made up of professional workers, making them one of the largest occupational categories” (Silvestri, cited in Hodson and Sullivan, 2008). These “special” workers who now comprise a big percentage in the work force also form their own unions. 4. Define bureaucracy. Explain what Weber means by his description of bureaucracy as the “iron cage of the future.” Burawoy found workers used the strategy of “making out” to resist bureaucratic control. Explain the process of “making out.” A bureaucracy is a hierarchical arrangement with clearly designated offices and responsibilities and a clearly defined chain of responsibility leading to the top position. The behavior of all parties in a bureaucracy, no matter how high up, takes place within the dictates of clearly stated rules. Bureaucracies exist in both modern corporations and in modern governments and are the major way in which work is organized contemporary society. (Crozier, 1964; Blau, 1963; Gouldner, 1964, cited in Hodson & Sullivan, 2008, p. 4) Max Weber introduced the concept of ‘iron cage’ which refers to ‘the increasing rationalization of human life, which traps individuals in an ‘iron cage’ of rule-based, rational control. He also called it over-bureaucratized social order.’ This was one of the concepts embodied in Weber’s The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism. The original German term for “iron cage” is stahlhartes Gehäuse which according to some authors should be translated as “steel encasement.” (Iron Cage, 2008) Burawoy observed that workers competed with each other to “make out” or to compete with each other; meaning to surpass each other’s expectation and productivity. The result was that the winner garnered the most respect and prestige. “The "making out" game separated the workers interests and obscured the fact that management was gaining productivity with only minor increases in wages. The act of playing the game generated consent for its rules while providing a challenging diversion to the general boredom of repetitive labor” (Burawoy, 1979, cited in Rollag, n.d.) 5. Explain the cultural division of labor and discuss why height and weight restrictions act as statistical discrimination against women. Identify three (3) other ways in which women and/or racial and ethnic minorities experience discrimination in hiring, pay and/or promotion. Height and weight restrictions can act as statistical discrimination against women because generally men are taller and heavier than women, although in some cases this is not so. If one particular job can be done by either a male or female, naturally the male applicant is a bit advantaged than the female applicant. In the work place, more and more jobs are done now by female because of the high technology equipment and IT application on jobs. The present set up in the work place is still conducive to the male worker, but in reality there is now a greater percentage of women in the work force. There are more men in the managerial position, which means to say that men are more preferred to work as managers and supervisor, when in fact more women are qualified to be such. In Gender Inequality at Work, “Women of color have lower wages, are poorer and are more likely to be unemployed than the average non-Hispanic White female. African American women earn 65.0 cents to the overall male dollar, while Latinas earn only 55.5 cents. In 2001, White women had weekly earnings of $521, Black women made $451, and Hispanic women made $385.” (Gender Inequality at Work, 2008) In the workplace that women are not equal with men in benefits, wages, privileges, etc. There is inequality even in retirement and pension benefits. There also more reports of assault and violent acts on women, aside from discrimination on women of color. (Gender Inequality at Work, 2008) Female-dominated occupations (e.g. secretaries, elementary school teachers) over all have lower wages. (Gender Inequality at Work, 2008) References Clayton, R. L., and Mousa, J. A. (2004). Measuring labor dynamics: the next generation in labor market information. Monthly Labor Review. Retrieved November 18, 2008, from http://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2004/05/art1full.pdf Gender Inequality at Work (2008). Research Bulletin. Retrieved November 18, 2008, from http://www.uaw.org/publications/jobs_pay/03/no2/jpe03.cfm Hodson, R., & Sullivan, T.A., (2008). The Social Organization of Work. (4th ed.). USA: Wadsworth. International Ladies Garment Workers Union (2008). In Answers.com. Retrieved November 18, 2008, from http://www.answers.com/topic/international-ladies-garment-workers-union Iron Cage (2008). Retrieved November 18, 2008, from http://www.answers.com/iron%20cage Labor force (2008). Retrieved November 18, 2008, from http://www.answers.com/main/ntquery?s=Labor+force&go.x=0&go.y=0&searchType=ra Rollag, K. (n.d.). Making Out in Capitalism: Reflections on Burawoys Manufacturing Consent. Retrieved November 18, 2008, from http://faculty.babson.edu/krollag/org_site/org_theory/Scott_articles/buraw_paper.html Trade unions say fight for workers’ rights goes on (2007). In United the Union. Retrieved November 18, 2008, from http://www.amicustheunion.org/Default.aspx?page=6008 Read More