...Workers join unions for three main reasons which are dissatisfaction with work environment, to increase influence in affecting a change of work environment, and employees perceives a potential benefit from joining a union (Bernardin & Russell, 2013). We can see that in 2004, 12.5% of wage and salary workers were members of a union which was a decline from 20.1% in 1983 (Bernardin & Russell, 2013). Education, training, and library occupation held the highest unionization rates in 2004 (Bernardin & Russell, 2013). There has been a steady decline of union membership over the last 13 years. In 2017, 10.7% of wage and salary workers were members of a union (BLS, 2018). The union membership of employees in education, training, and library occupation...
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...Normally when someone hears the words ‘labor union officials’, they immediately think of scandals or crooks. Not all unions are bad, but there is so much coverage in the media that you can’t help but be leery of someone representing a labor union. From January 2, 2013 through the end of December 2013, there were nearly 200 indictments by union officials. Crimes included larceny, intent to defraud, embezzlement of union funds, and records fraud (LaborUnionReport.com). From January 1, 2014 to the previous date, there have been nearly 40 indictments on these union officials that we trust to look out and support this nation’s hard working employees. Although the labor union’s original intent was to protect the common interests of workers, as shown by the labor union’s beginning roots, but by the time of President John F. Kennedy’s presidency, labor union officials stopped caring about the worker and started caring more about lining their own pockets. Today they continue to support their own interests by their continued pilfering of union dues and pension plans, as evidenced by my own experience, as well as their increased affiliation with political affiliates that will help them continue to gain power. Originally, the labor movement began when the National Labor Union succeeded in limiting the number of hours in a workday to eight hours for federal employees; however, they couldn’t do the same for private sector workers (Cussen). In 1914, Congress passed the Clayton Antitrust...
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...Effect of the “Right to Work” Law on Unions and Union Workers in the United States Capstone Co-ordinator: Ted Seath Faculty Advisor: Gary Gannon Table of Contents CHAPTER I 1 DEFINITION OF THE PROBLEM 1 Background Statement 1 Problem Statement 2 Purpose Statement 3 Limitations of Study 3 Reliability 4 Availability 4 Timeliness 4 Precision Error 4 Researcher Prejudice 5 CHAPTER II 5 LITERATURE REVIEW 5 Selected Review of Literature 5 The Effect of Right-to-Work Laws on Workers and Wages 5 Right-to-Work Laws are Beneficial to Unions and Union Workers 10 Right-to-Work Laws Negatively Affect Unions and Union Workers 16 Free-Riders are the Cause of Union Demise 23 Free-Riders Make Unions More Accountable 26 Results Summary 28 Right-to-Work Laws Weaken Labor Unions 28 Workers Gain Fewer Benefits from Economic Growth under Right-to-Work Laws 28 The Broader Economic Effects of Right-to-Work Laws are Difficult to Separate 29 CHAPTER III 29 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 29 Conclusions 29 Recommendations 30 WORKS CITED 32 CHAPTER I DEFINITION OF THE PROBLEM Background Statement The typical factory worker in the late nineteenth century worked ten hours a day, six days a week. Unskilled workers were paid between $1.00 and $1.50 per day. Children were a significant part of the labour force after the Civil War. Workplace accidents were common, and the idea of compensating workers injured on the job was unheard of...
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...Korean Trade Union and Organization of Korean women Workers The Korean Women’s Trade Union, commonly referred to as KWTU, is a union formed to protect the rights of women workers to work and safeguard their rights to equal working conditions and benefits. The Korean Women’s Trade Union was created on August 29, 1999 by members of the Korean Women Workers’ Association United (Broadbent & Ford, 2008). Many working women have been mistreated by their companies, the government and the male-dominated trade unions, due to the extensively imposed practices of "firing women first" during mass lay-offs and the conversion of their status from full-time to part-time. Consequently the KWTU was formed to shed light on and abolish the prejudiced policies and actions endorsed against women workers. Currently, the KWTU has 1,500 union members who are involved in the activities of local units of nine major cities including, Seoul, Inchon, Pusan, Kwanju, Buchon, Ansan-Shuheung, Masan-Cangwon, Iksan-Chonju and Taegu. Protecting the rights of many women workers who are often denied membership in other trade union, the KWTU offers membership to all women workers working in any workplace or region. In fact, 71.8 percent of KWTU's membership consists of irregular women workers (Choi, 2000, Song, 2001). This essay has numerous objectives. First, the fundamental incentives for the configuration of the KWTU will be presented. Principally, the discussion will depict the rising number of women...
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...THE SOCIAL FORCES BEHIND TRADE UNION FAILURE TO PROTECT WORKERS INTERESTS IN TANZANIA: A specific look at the Tanzania Teachers Union (TTU) Eric Michael Mattaba B.A (Sociology) Dissertation University of Dar es Salaam August 2015 THE SOCIAL FORCES BEHIND TRADE UNION FAILURE TO PROTECT WORKERS INTERESTS IN TANZANIA: A specific look at the Tanzania Teachers Union (TTU) By Eric Michael Mattaba A Dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Arts (Sociology) of the University of Dar es Salaam University of Dar es Salaam August 2015 CERTIFICATION The undersigned certify that they have read and hear by recommend for acceptance by the University of Dar es Salaam a dissertation entitled: The social forces behind trade union failure in protecting workers interest in Tanzania: A specific look at the Tanzania Teachers Union (TTU), in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Arts (Sociology) of the University of Dar es Salaam Mr. Armstrong Matogwa (Supervisor) DECLARATION AND COPYRIGHT I, Eric Michael Mattaba, hereby declare that this dissertation is my own original work and that it has not been presented and will not be presented to any other University for a similar or any other degree award. Signature………………………………….. This dissertation is a copyright material protected under the Berne Convention, the copyright Act 1999 and other international and national enactments in that behalf, on intellectual property...
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...What had the greater impact on the rights of the trade unions 1865-1950; the federal government or the actions of workers? In 1865 there were little labour rights and even less trade union power, firstly looking at the four key aims of trade unions; the right to exist, the right to bargain collectively, the right to be recognised by both the government and the employers and finally the right to strike without losing their jobs. In 1865 there was no legal right to exist at all instead the government actively opposes the development of the rights of trade unions. This can be witnessed throughout the period up until the New Deal era as evidenced by the Supreme Court injunctions and troops used to break strikes. The right to collective bargaining was again a no as there was no legal recognition meaning that there are no examples of willingness to negotiate with them. This is evidenced due to the fact 1920s employers use ‘yellow dog’ contracts to stop workers joining unions. There was no protection from losing your job if you chose to strike, due to resource stock piling and scab labour the employers had no real need to listen to the demands of those striking. Whereas at the end of the period the right to exist has been gained via the Wagner Act, the right to collectively bargain was very close to being nationally complete, the right to strike has been taken away due to the president limiting the power to strike during world war two and finally the right to be recognized has been...
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...Memorandum To: Dr. Alan Goodman, Chief Operations Officer From: Frederick A. Jasper Date: 5/3/2011 Re: Global Enterprises, Inc. (GEI): Recommendation Introduction As the Chief Operations Officer, you should be aware and concern of the consequences, both ethical and legal, of actions that have driven GEI to consider filing bankruptcy, in order to avoid employees at the US operations a 60 days notice. GEI, in a effort to weather a military downturn, engaged in purchasing materials and equipment that were substandard. The leadership also created a nonchalant attitude, which trickled down to other employees to take part in these unethical and illegal actions. This memo outlines situation of events and offers recommendations on what must be done, in order for the company can turnaround and to ensure these issues can be sorted out responsively. Ethical Issue #1 The first ethical is placing fidelity to shareholders ahead of the safety military personnel and children. When a governmental contractor manufactures and produces a product, there should be a high-level of expectations that equipments, body armor, and armored vehicles for the US military are superior. Legal Issue #1 Ethical Issue #2 GEI’s dishonesty. People at GEI were fully aware of the risk of their equipments could cause injuries and/or deaths of service personnel in combat situations. Legal Issue...
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...generating profits each year since it was founded and realizing significant appreciation in the value of its stock over the life of the company. Southwest’s quality and productivity serve as benchmarks for the industry. It consistently ranks at the top of the various quality measures—including on-time performance, baggage handling, and customer complaints. Employee Relations Nearly 90 percent of Southwest’s workforce is organized into nine unions. Four—the pilots and three small technician unions—are independent organizations. The flight attendants and ramp workers are represented by the Transportation Workers Unions (TWU), the customer service and the reservation agents are represented by the International Association of Machinists (IAM), and the mechanics and cleaners are represented by the Teamsters (IBT). The company has enjoyed highly cooperative and peaceful labor relations since its founding. Its founders were not opposed to unions and essentially invited them into the organization. However, management has also worked hard to ensure that the unions...
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...American history the Triangle shirtwaist tragedy sparked a revolt, which led to a unionization of workers. While each tragedy happened 100 years apart, both tragedies are similar in that worker where exploited and not cared for. Both are similar in the fact that the owner’s only priority was to produce as many garments as fast as possible. The Tazreen blaze started at 7.pm on a Saturday it took the fire fighters all night to put out the flames. This event leads to 111 garment workers dying in the flames, and many others sent to hospitals for burn treatments and smoke inhalation. Bangladesh women are paid low wages and work long hours. “Bangladesh 20 billion a year business that represents seventy-eight of the poor country’s exports and employees four million people.” In the Triangle shirtwaist factory most of the workers employed were women. Similar to the fire at the Tazreen factory, the factory had few fire escapes and disregarded safety measures. The Triangle Shirtwaist factory in New York City, the factory was located in the cramped SoHo neighborhoods Owners of the Triangle Shirtwaist did not make the factory safe because it was not cost effective on their part. In fact the girls at the Triangle shirtwaist factory where penalized for broken needles and mistakes. If a worker got hurt he or she must continue working till the workday was done. The Triangle shirtwaist factory workers worked long hours usually 12 hour days, for only 15 dollars a week. Most of the girls working...
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...used today. | If it weren't for the tragedy that took places many years ago, the lives sacrificed unknowing by the individuals who lost their lives in this tragedy, we today could be still working in hazardous, unfavorable conditions, long torturous hours, and next to nothing pay. The industrial period brought on many changes because of the united from of the NWTUL and NLA. The Labor Relations Process book discusses the Unions that developed and grew in this time period. There is a reason why we are required to have adequate fire escape routes. Fire alarms, fire safety plans in place, fire extinguishers available and ready to use. Annual or quarterly checks regarding compliance with regulations of public safety (1962). The fire at the Triangle Waist Company in New York City, which claimed the lives of 146 young immigrant workers, is one of the worst, traumatic, disasters since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. The incident had great significance to this day because it highlights the inhumane working conditions to which industrial workers were subjected too. To many, its ugliness epitomize the boundaries of industrialism. The catastrophe still remains in the shared memory of the nation and of the international labor movement. The victims of this catastrophe are still celebrated as martyrs at the hands of industrial greed (Holley et al p 44). Stein begins his book with March 25, 1911,a fire broke out at the Triangle Waist Factory in New York City. A total of...
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...range from being the birthplace of the New Deal or George Washington’s favorite hangout tavern. Some buildings have more political significance than others. For example, the Brown Building housed the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory. In 1911, a brief factory fire would shed light on the cruel working environments endured by workers. The history of the fire and building has a lifetime impact on the workplace and employer standards. The Shirtwaist Factory fire played a significant role as a catalyst for labor reforms. The Triangle Waist Company, founded in the early twentieth century by Isaac Harris and Max...
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...place to protect the workers in factories. The factories in New York after the Second Industrial Revolution were primarily employing immigrants desperate for jobs to survive who were willing to work for lower wages in bad conditions. In the case of the textile factories, specifically the Triangle Shirtwaist factory, those employed were...
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...Garment workers at shops across the city took to the streets demanding better pay, shorter hours, and improved working conditions. The walkout was more or less spontaneous but, striking workers found support in the streets from community activist and from the relatively new labor unions. The women out on strike were met with violence by, oddly enough, armed policemen who were hired to beat and arrest them. Sweatshop owners also hired prostitutes to break up the picket line, causing all the workers and the prostitutes to get arrested. Companies would bail out the prostitutes but, no one would bail out the workers. Within three months of the original strike, unexpectedly, the strikes were starting to avail. Factory workers were starting to get better working conditions, less hours, and higher pay at smaller companies in the city because settling with the labor unions would essentially leapfrog the competition. Sadly, there was a fateful exception. One of the larger sweatshops, the Triangle Factory, did not settle with the labor union, because they did not have to. In many ways, the seeds were sewn for something terrible to happen, the question was not if but, when. The economic pressures were on factory owners that lead them to keep their factories in that condition, and the pressures on the individual workers themselves who agreed to work in conditions they knew to be so...
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...equal rights as men especially in the work place. They often worked many long grueling hours of overtime and never got the right pay they deserved for it. Some women would work more than 120 hours a week and would never see the same pay as man would if a man worked that many hours. To add on to the already hard working hours, most of the times in the work place women were treated like dogs. They were repeatedly treated like the machines they were running. The bosses would yell at them curse at them and even call them names that were too unbearable to mention. Most young women were dissatisfied with the way they were being treated. One evening in September many young women went to secret meeting of the International Ladies Garment Workers Union (ILGWU) to hear what most of the representatives had to say. They told women that they needed take a stand against such horrid conditions. They meet in a court room to decide whether or not this was a good idea. One little shirt waist girl said “I am a working girl- one of those who are suffering from intolerable conditions. I though we came here to decide whether we should all go on strike. The...
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...In the film Triangle Fire, directed and produced by Jamila Wignot, many historians and writers recount the stories surrounding the “deadliest workplace accident in Manhattan’s history”. This accident took place at the Triangle Shirtwaist factory soon after the Triangle strikers demanded to work as a Union but were greeted in return with only higher wages and shorter work days. The fire began on the 8th floor, the location of many of the Triangle strikers, when a cigarette was thrown on the ground. Max Blanck and Isaac Harris, the factory owners, were on the 10th floor when they received a phone call about the fire and quickly found refuge next door. Although they were later acquitted, it is believed the two men were aware the stairway and exit...
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