Preview

Norma Rae: Trials And Tribulations Associated With The Organization Of A Union

Satisfactory Essays
Open Document
Open Document
435 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Norma Rae: Trials And Tribulations Associated With The Organization Of A Union
Norma Rae

Reaction Paper

The movie Norma Rae accurately portrays the trials and tribulations associated with the organization of a union. The movie takes place in a small town where the only jobs for the unskilled laborer are at a textile manufacturing plant. The wealthy educated run the business and the poor uneducated work it. The clear division of classes in the town as well as in the plant makes a great platform for unionization. Treating employees in a inhumane manner will eventually cause one of them to turn on you.

When Rueben, the union organizer comes to town and is talking to the employees about higher wages and better benefits, he has a hard time getting anyone’s attention. Initially there is fear of false hopes

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    There is a long ongoing battle that is being waged between unions and business since the rise of large corporations. Unions were created to fight higher official corruption and to protect workers from unfavorable conditions and unfair treatment by top-level officials, companies take extreme measures to prevent the creation of unions within their organizations. There are positive and negative effects for both nonunion and unionized companies. Preventing workers from unionizing is a difficult task for organizations especially as they expand into the global arena. More is demanded from employees usually with little added benefits (thus the reason for unionization). A notable successful company is Trader Joe’s, who’s business strategy and cultural…

    • 860 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    APUSH DBQ1 Labor Unions

    • 1111 Words
    • 3 Pages

    In the mid-1800s, the National Labor Union was formed to unify workers in fighting for higher wages, lowered work hours, and various other social causes. However, this sets the stage for many failing unions to come. One of the first major strikes in this period would include the Great Railroad Strike. In the late 1800s, railroad workers from across the country participated in an enormous strike that resulted not only in mass violence, but also very few reforms. An editorial in The New York Times stated: "[T]he strike is apparently hopeless, and must be regarded as nothing more than a rash and spiteful demonstration of resentment by men too ignorant or too reckless to understand their own interests…" (Document B). This editorial, which was clearly in favor of labor reforms, was acknowledging that this method of reform was unsuccessful for the laborers at this time. A failure of this magnitude so early on in the movement should have been enough cease its continuation; however, year after year, strikes were breaking and little was being done in the workers’ favor. Another major strike would be the Homestead Strike and Lockout. In the late 1800s,…

    • 1111 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Jimmy Hoffa and Unionism

    • 2002 Words
    • 9 Pages

    As depicted in the film, the catalyst which stirred truckers and warehousemen to unionize was due to increased frustration concerning deplorable working conditions such as long hours, minuscule compensation, and absence of properly functioning vehicles to sufficiently complete the responsibilities of the job. Another contributing factor was that workers initially lacked the ability to choose otherwise in the absence of a platform to address concerns associated with unfair labor practices. Although completely disgruntled, workers seemed somewhat enslaved to their circumstance and stuck in the vicious cycle of working extensive hours in attempts to support their families. The level of employee frustration and job discontentment is positively correlated to the probability of unionization as written by Fossum (2012) who reports that “employees are more likely to vote for unions due to dissatisfaction with employment conditions rather than job task characteristics” (p. 9). Unhappy workers are interested in positive change which results in the possibility of improved circumstances. When approached by a sympathizing organizer such as Jimmy Hoffa offering assistance and a means toward…

    • 2002 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    The choice to begin with the procession offers a juxtaposition of ideals, one where the people are standing on common ground and then as the book continues on we are taken on a journey that shows the divide between the people, particularly within their classes. Within the pages, information is drawn about different labor unions and the people who influenced them and this is where its success draws from. Green sets the stage for the bombing at the Haymarket which does not take place until more than halfway through the book. He offers a look into what could have caused such violence. Beginning with the eight-hour workday movement which inspired many to fight harder for their right to work, but also receive an education with the time they had hoped to free up. They were met with opposition at almost every turn, from politicians with empty promises to employers with no problem in lowering wages or laying off workers with better conditions in mind.…

    • 920 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The railroad companies made decisions to cut their employees pay so that they can make more money and grow. They made the claim that they were not obligated to pay their employees a certain rate of money for their labor. The corporation has every right to govern how much they pay their employees. When they dropped their employees pay, the employees fought for rights that they did not have. The corporation for which they have worked, though it may be ill-managed, and even dishonestly managed, is under no obligation to employ them at any rate of compensation which is not acceptable to both parties. But a strange hallucination seems to have seized the men, who fancy, because they have worked for the…

    • 474 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    In Out of this Furnace, unionism at the outset of the depression was referred to as "merciless repression." This was evident through the mere 6 percent labor force that belonged to the Unions. But with the new climate inspiring men like Dobie from Out of This Furnace and aid from the federal government in the form of the Wagner Act, during the 1930's unions were able to establish themselves, demonstrated by 1/3 workers carrying union card by 1940.…

    • 774 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    LER 100 Syllabus

    • 1626 Words
    • 8 Pages

    The course provides an overview of workers and unions in American society and introduces you to topics covered in the field of Labor Studies. The course looks at economic, political, and workplace issues facing working people, why and how workers join unions, how unions are structured and function, and how unions and management bargain a contract. The class includes an overview of U.S. labor and working class history, an analysis of the state of U.S. employment laws, and a discussion of the contemporary struggles workers and unions face in a rapidly changing global economy. Finally, the class examines a contemporary labor struggle to explore changing labor-management relations, the U.S. government’s role, and internal struggles within the labor movement.…

    • 1626 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Ap Synthesis Essay

    • 797 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution labor battles have been a reoccurring issue across the world. In the mid 1800’s to early 1900s the labor battle heated up in America’s cities as workers fought for their rights and corporations fought to keep wages low. To combat the powerful companies, workers united together creating the first labor unions. Since their creation, the unions have grown in members as they fight battles for shorter work days and higher salaries, but organized labor has also created much controversy. Over time, both pros and cons have been identified by supporters and attackers of labor unions. Now, read the accompanying sources about organized labor, then in an essay that synthesizes at least three of the sources for support, defend, challenge, or qualify the following statement. Do not simply quote the sources; instead, choose which ones (a minimum of 3) are most appropriate to bolster your opinion. Also, avoid summarizing the sources. Following each direct and indirect quote, parenthetically identify the source as (Source A), (Source B), etc. Organized labor has become a controversial topic with propionates citing improved quality of workers’ lives while others point to a number of problems, including less productivity. Use at least three sources to support your opinion. SOURCES FOLLOW…

    • 797 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Such unions would fight for higher wages and less hours for most workers and would sometimes go on strike if necessary. A prime example of this was the railroad strike of 1877 where employers were calling for a 10 percent wage cut. Although this turned into a deadly conflict it showed why unions were needed in America to ensure the fair treatments of workers by their…

    • 829 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Union struggles have been an important topic for many years. Union members constantly seek more while businesses constantly seek to take more away. There have been many laws both anti and pro unions that have both had positive and negative effects. The National Industrial Recovery Act (NIRA) and the Taft-Hartley Act were two famous anti-union laws that impacted union workers in a negative way, and the LaGuardia and Wagner Acts were also famous union laws that were pro-union that had good results on the union workers.…

    • 547 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Until 1842 labor unions were illegal. In 1890 the Sherman act was passed that outlawed monopolies. Because people were trying to get fair wages and fait working conditions people promoted the labor union. In order to achieve what they wanted workers would go on strike. Some failed but some also prevailed. An example of one strike that worked was one against the railroads in 1886 where the owner had to restore the wages he had cut. One that didn’t work was in Chicago against the McCormick Reaper Works that lead to the Haymarket riots where many people including police men were killed or injured.…

    • 533 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Labor union Labor Unions began forming in the late 1800’s. They formed to provide workers with more rights. However they were opposed on many fronts. The unions faced an uphill battle against business owners and even other workers. From 1865 to 1940, the development of labor unions was generally a negative force leading to economic disruption and unnecessary laws that stifled businesses and hindered job growth.…

    • 802 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    During a time period of great advancement in technology, the late 19th century could appropriately dub itself as an industrial revolution. Rapid transformations of the work-place worsened working conditions and prompted the common laborer to join forces with others in order to create labor unions. Although these unions were fueled with excellent intentions and driven by exasperated motivation, these organizations did little to improve the working conditions during this particular time frame. It wasn’t until the 20th century that tangible changes in the workplace, stability in personal finance, and the public’s perception of their motivations that organized labor truly improved the position of workers from 1875 to 1900.…

    • 1503 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    2. A. The Lowell Mills Strike of 1834 took place in Lowell, Massachusetts in 1834. The dominant work force in the Lowell Mills were young, rural, unmarried women. Working in the Lowell Mills was dangerous because the machinery could easily injure a young girl if she made a simple mistake. Also the women worked long hours with little pay. Despite these treacherous conditions there was sense of unity among the women who all came from similar backgrounds. In 1834, the economy took a turn for the worse and the Lowell Mill owners cut wages by 15-20%. Harriet Robinson led the women on the basis that “Union is Power” and held meetings to fight for higher pay. The mill owners fired the leaders of the protests which resulted in the remaining women to go on strike in the streets. The strikes, however, had little impact on the mill owners because textiles had slow down in the market due to overproduction. The strikes failed as women returned back to work within a few days with the reduced pay. Despite the strikes failure, it was significant because it set an example for future actions against mill owners. The strike also was significant in women rights because women stepped forward and fought against wrongdoing.…

    • 918 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    First Union Case Study

    • 1741 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Miller, S.K., & Tucker III, J. J. (2013). Diversity trends, practices, and challenges in the financial services industry. Journal of Financial Service Professionals, 67(6), 46-57.…

    • 1741 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays

Related Topics