Legal And Ethical Issues Regarding Labor Unions
Legal and Ethical Issues Concerning Labor Unions
Xxxxx xxxxxxx
Park University
Abstract
Labor Unions have played a role in the growth of this country for many years and the debate on whether it is good or bad rages on. There has been study after study done to try prove that there have been positive gains through unions from the past to the present. A lot of legal and ethical issues today in regards to unions keep them in the spot light on issues such as equal labor rights with companies or how the unions deal with their members after they have left the workforce. This paper will be another study on labor unions looking at their legal and ethical behaviors in the work environment and after a member has left the workforce.
Labor Unions …show more content…
There are jobs everywhere of every which way and kind, from fast food to the CEO of mega corporations.
These jobs sustain us in our habits and distinguish how we live whether we own a home or rent, buy a car, or take a bus or train. We know what we want in a job and most of us take on these jobs not fully knowing what we are entitled to because we are all trying to pay the bills and put food on the table in the end. When you are working you here the term Union thrown around a lot and depending on the work conditions and or even the pay for the work being done these Unions are there to help, but you have to be a member for them to here you. Not only that you have a union established where you work before they can work for you and they are not free, you are required to pay member dues. Let’s take a look at how unions came to be and what prompted their use through
today.
Labor Union History During the Industrial revolution unions began to form in response to the lay pay and heavy work hours. This first union, The Knights of Labor, did not last long due to poor organization in the organization and strong opposition from the government and the employers (Witwer). A few years after in 1886 The American Federation of Labor was founded and its leader was Samuel Gompers until his passing some 36 years later (Witwer). This Union proved to be a more organized and a stronger entity through coordination from smaller local unions that grew into a major political player a major player in national politics through support strikes (Witwer). Labor unions had such a positive impact on the workforce that Roosevelt through the Wagner Act had legally put into place a protection on the rights of Unions (Witwer). After World War II, Unions have become such a power house that Senator Robert Taft drafted the Taft-Hartley Act that went through a veto from President Truman but reenacted by the conservative coalition (Witwer). This Act insured that Unions could not gain the upper hand in government by making it where unions could not contribute funds to Political candidates or to even put on strikes if it could be shown that it threatened national security. During the 1950s Unions had a whopping 35% national membership, but as the years came and went that number began to drop to 11% by 2010 (Skocpol and Williamson). Republicans were one of the main causes of this drop by utilizing Union think tanks that help to curb union issues before they started by creating policies before issues could arise. Unions have had a colorful life and from a rough start to a power house in politics are now again dwindling in power or are they?
Today in Labor Unions Today Unions have to follow state and federal laws and are limited in what they can do. What I mean is that one person cannot just go and create a union. It has to be a majority vote on behalf of the employees if the employer does not support the formation of a Union. Once this decision is made the union still had to be recognized and certified by the government. Once a union is formed they cannot do anything that could jeopardize the employers business but are in there rights to fight for fair wages and safe work environments. Even with this there are about 40% of public employees do not have the right to have a legally established union. When you look at the averages though the weekly median pay in 2012 was $950 compare to $750 a week for nonunionized workers (Langvardt). That is a 33% difference from union to nonunion workers, not only that unions help to ensure the work environment is safe and have a higher quality of work conditions. Unions also help to ensure job security along with additional benefits such as retirement plans and better health benefit plans. These benefits are not easy to come by; they are formed into through negotiations with the employer. These negotiations are put into writing and are different from one organization to another; even bigger changes are in the states that have the Right to Work statues (Skocpol and Williamson). These right-to-work states have unions but they are generally weaker and not only that when you get a job in one of these states, you do not have to be part of a union. However one of the issues of legality arises in this area as the unions can charge nonunion employees a fee to help cover the bargaining fees; there are 28 states that are a Right-To-Work state (Skocpol and Williamson).
A Little bit of Good People today do not know how hard it was living 100 years ago and all the labor issues from then to now. Unions helped to ensure a fair days pair for a fairs day’s labor and to make sure all employees are treated fairly. Without that hard work that Unions put in we could possibly working 12-16 hours a day 7 days week 365 days a year. Unions helped to establish a 40 hour work week as being full time employment and with full time employment came benefits such as health care and retirement. They even established a minimum working age to ensure children were not in sweat houses making next to nothing (Strongin). There was a time that children were used to work and were not considered efficient workers and were only paid with a little food for a full day’s work (Strongin). You can’t have your cake and eat it too, without a little bit of the bad that comes with labor unions.
A Touch of Bad It is up to the Union leaders in these organizations to negotiate the benefits of their members in the work environment. Not just any Joe Schmoe can do this because the leader has to be able to understand finances and how they fluctuate from month to month, the trends and how feasible are the requests they are making on behalf of its members (Strongin). Some examples of issues that they will not move on, is the recent teacher Union in Philadelphia where the unions have stopped negotiating pay raises and instead might have to settle on a pay but these unions will not budge on issues dealing with healthcare and retirement plans. Unfortunately these two issues have been known to break businesses because of how much they cost in the long run as compared to just a simple pay increase with lesser benefits. These union leaders are under pressure from their members but they must also understand that they have a job now but if they push for benefits that could bankrupt the firm then they are out of a job with no money, no benefits, and no retirement.
Not all are Ethical or Legal That is right there are unions that had poor ethics and created a bad name for a lot of the organizations. The Teamsters were one such group by using intimidation to get employees to join and union and pay their dues (Witwer). This union was a front for mobs to clean their money in the form of racketeering, which not only intimidated its members but also went after the employers. It was because of this type of union that the Taft-Hartley Act was formed to limit their power (Witwer). This Act made it illegal to transport people who were employed to use force and threats at non-violent picketing lines to help push efforts to or fro the unions. These union members also forced non-union members to either join or quit so that they could be stronger against the employer, which is another thing this Act helped to stop (Witwer). They say power corrupts even the noblest cause and Unions are a prime example of that. Through the use of force and intimidation, Unions have rose and fallen over the years and are still a hard subject to swallow.
Conclusion
The use of unions have helped establish safe work environments and protected employees from corporate greed. They were started with the intent to do good by ensuring decent pay for the work being accomplished. If it was not for unions there would not be the benefits that are being offered on a regular basis by employers regardless of a union in place or not. Not all businesses can support a union especially if it is a union with high demands such as the Unions of Hostess who managed to lose over 18000 jobs because they could not agree with the employer and asked for too much. This happens everywhere and unions without the right ideals and motives could cause more harm than good. Unions are under more legal scrutiny today than they were one hundred years ago but have molded into a power house that works for the employer as much as the employee. This is done by the union showing the employer what changes need to happen that they do not see and most of the time increase profits for the business. Not all unions are bad or against the employer so do the research on the union in your company and see what it has done for you regardless of your membership.
(Witwer)
Bibliography
Langvardt, Mallor/ Barnes/ Bowers/. Business Law: The Ethical, Global, and E-Commerce Environment. Vol. 15th Edition. New York: McGraw-Hill Education, 2013.
Skocpol, Theda and Vanessa Williamson. "The war against public sector collective bargaining in the US." Journal of Industrial Relations (2012): 386-408.
Strongin, Patricia K. The Law of the Workplace: Rights of Employers and Employees. Washington, D.C.: BNA Books, 1994.
Witwer, David Scott. Corruption and Reform in the Teamsters Union. University of Illinois: Library of Congress Cataloging, 2003.
Xxxxx xxxxxxx
Park University
Abstract
Labor Unions have played a role in the growth of this country for many years and the debate on whether it is good or bad rages on. There has been study after study done to try prove that there have been positive gains through unions from the past to the present. A lot of legal and ethical issues today in regards to unions keep them in the spot light on issues such as equal labor rights with companies or how the unions deal with their members after they have left the workforce. This paper will be another study on labor unions looking at their legal and ethical behaviors in the work environment and after a member has left the workforce.
Labor Unions …show more content…
There are jobs everywhere of every which way and kind, from fast food to the CEO of mega corporations.
These jobs sustain us in our habits and distinguish how we live whether we own a home or rent, buy a car, or take a bus or train. We know what we want in a job and most of us take on these jobs not fully knowing what we are entitled to because we are all trying to pay the bills and put food on the table in the end. When you are working you here the term Union thrown around a lot and depending on the work conditions and or even the pay for the work being done these Unions are there to help, but you have to be a member for them to here you. Not only that you have a union established where you work before they can work for you and they are not free, you are required to pay member dues. Let’s take a look at how unions came to be and what prompted their use through
today.
Labor Union History During the Industrial revolution unions began to form in response to the lay pay and heavy work hours. This first union, The Knights of Labor, did not last long due to poor organization in the organization and strong opposition from the government and the employers (Witwer). A few years after in 1886 The American Federation of Labor was founded and its leader was Samuel Gompers until his passing some 36 years later (Witwer). This Union proved to be a more organized and a stronger entity through coordination from smaller local unions that grew into a major political player a major player in national politics through support strikes (Witwer). Labor unions had such a positive impact on the workforce that Roosevelt through the Wagner Act had legally put into place a protection on the rights of Unions (Witwer). After World War II, Unions have become such a power house that Senator Robert Taft drafted the Taft-Hartley Act that went through a veto from President Truman but reenacted by the conservative coalition (Witwer). This Act insured that Unions could not gain the upper hand in government by making it where unions could not contribute funds to Political candidates or to even put on strikes if it could be shown that it threatened national security. During the 1950s Unions had a whopping 35% national membership, but as the years came and went that number began to drop to 11% by 2010 (Skocpol and Williamson). Republicans were one of the main causes of this drop by utilizing Union think tanks that help to curb union issues before they started by creating policies before issues could arise. Unions have had a colorful life and from a rough start to a power house in politics are now again dwindling in power or are they?
Today in Labor Unions Today Unions have to follow state and federal laws and are limited in what they can do. What I mean is that one person cannot just go and create a union. It has to be a majority vote on behalf of the employees if the employer does not support the formation of a Union. Once this decision is made the union still had to be recognized and certified by the government. Once a union is formed they cannot do anything that could jeopardize the employers business but are in there rights to fight for fair wages and safe work environments. Even with this there are about 40% of public employees do not have the right to have a legally established union. When you look at the averages though the weekly median pay in 2012 was $950 compare to $750 a week for nonunionized workers (Langvardt). That is a 33% difference from union to nonunion workers, not only that unions help to ensure the work environment is safe and have a higher quality of work conditions. Unions also help to ensure job security along with additional benefits such as retirement plans and better health benefit plans. These benefits are not easy to come by; they are formed into through negotiations with the employer. These negotiations are put into writing and are different from one organization to another; even bigger changes are in the states that have the Right to Work statues (Skocpol and Williamson). These right-to-work states have unions but they are generally weaker and not only that when you get a job in one of these states, you do not have to be part of a union. However one of the issues of legality arises in this area as the unions can charge nonunion employees a fee to help cover the bargaining fees; there are 28 states that are a Right-To-Work state (Skocpol and Williamson).
A Little bit of Good People today do not know how hard it was living 100 years ago and all the labor issues from then to now. Unions helped to ensure a fair days pair for a fairs day’s labor and to make sure all employees are treated fairly. Without that hard work that Unions put in we could possibly working 12-16 hours a day 7 days week 365 days a year. Unions helped to establish a 40 hour work week as being full time employment and with full time employment came benefits such as health care and retirement. They even established a minimum working age to ensure children were not in sweat houses making next to nothing (Strongin). There was a time that children were used to work and were not considered efficient workers and were only paid with a little food for a full day’s work (Strongin). You can’t have your cake and eat it too, without a little bit of the bad that comes with labor unions.
A Touch of Bad It is up to the Union leaders in these organizations to negotiate the benefits of their members in the work environment. Not just any Joe Schmoe can do this because the leader has to be able to understand finances and how they fluctuate from month to month, the trends and how feasible are the requests they are making on behalf of its members (Strongin). Some examples of issues that they will not move on, is the recent teacher Union in Philadelphia where the unions have stopped negotiating pay raises and instead might have to settle on a pay but these unions will not budge on issues dealing with healthcare and retirement plans. Unfortunately these two issues have been known to break businesses because of how much they cost in the long run as compared to just a simple pay increase with lesser benefits. These union leaders are under pressure from their members but they must also understand that they have a job now but if they push for benefits that could bankrupt the firm then they are out of a job with no money, no benefits, and no retirement.
Not all are Ethical or Legal That is right there are unions that had poor ethics and created a bad name for a lot of the organizations. The Teamsters were one such group by using intimidation to get employees to join and union and pay their dues (Witwer). This union was a front for mobs to clean their money in the form of racketeering, which not only intimidated its members but also went after the employers. It was because of this type of union that the Taft-Hartley Act was formed to limit their power (Witwer). This Act made it illegal to transport people who were employed to use force and threats at non-violent picketing lines to help push efforts to or fro the unions. These union members also forced non-union members to either join or quit so that they could be stronger against the employer, which is another thing this Act helped to stop (Witwer). They say power corrupts even the noblest cause and Unions are a prime example of that. Through the use of force and intimidation, Unions have rose and fallen over the years and are still a hard subject to swallow.
Conclusion
The use of unions have helped establish safe work environments and protected employees from corporate greed. They were started with the intent to do good by ensuring decent pay for the work being accomplished. If it was not for unions there would not be the benefits that are being offered on a regular basis by employers regardless of a union in place or not. Not all businesses can support a union especially if it is a union with high demands such as the Unions of Hostess who managed to lose over 18000 jobs because they could not agree with the employer and asked for too much. This happens everywhere and unions without the right ideals and motives could cause more harm than good. Unions are under more legal scrutiny today than they were one hundred years ago but have molded into a power house that works for the employer as much as the employee. This is done by the union showing the employer what changes need to happen that they do not see and most of the time increase profits for the business. Not all unions are bad or against the employer so do the research on the union in your company and see what it has done for you regardless of your membership.
(Witwer)
Bibliography
Langvardt, Mallor/ Barnes/ Bowers/. Business Law: The Ethical, Global, and E-Commerce Environment. Vol. 15th Edition. New York: McGraw-Hill Education, 2013.
Skocpol, Theda and Vanessa Williamson. "The war against public sector collective bargaining in the US." Journal of Industrial Relations (2012): 386-408.
Strongin, Patricia K. The Law of the Workplace: Rights of Employers and Employees. Washington, D.C.: BNA Books, 1994.
Witwer, David Scott. Corruption and Reform in the Teamsters Union. University of Illinois: Library of Congress Cataloging, 2003.