Unions: What's the Future? - Essay Sample

Introduction

Generally, the union won higher wages and better working conditions for those with their membership ticket. Nevertheless, the appreciation salaries are viewed as the key factor reducing the number of jobs available for union members. There has been a gradual decrease in the proportion of workers from the 1970s who are members of unions, in other words, it is believed that improvement in minimum wage and safety laws has depreciated the need for unions to negotiate in the present days. The reduced number of labor movements in present days was caused by reports of corruptions in the ranks that were realized in the 1950s and its power is expected to worsen due to strong opposition it faces and lack of many political parties that supports it.

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The Taft-Hartley Act of 1947 was the traditional initiative that damaged the unions and greatly exposed records of corruption in the Teamsters and other unions reducing the influence and power of the labor union from the 1950s to the present. Unions established a backbone aspect of the New Deal Coalition and Modern liberalism in America. The population of employees represented by a union in America peaked in 1954 at nearly 35% and the total number of union members heightened in 1979 at an approximated 21 million. Membership has steadily reduced presently is 15.8 million and 12% of the labor force (Series, I.2015). In the United States in the present world, labor unions are covered by one of the two bigger umbrella organizations: the Change to Win Federation, which was formed in 2006 after parting from the American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organization. The two bodies advocate policies and legislation suitable to employees in America and Canada and besides, take an active role in politics backing the Democratic Party (Dark, 2001). Majorly, the AFLO-CIO is majorly concerned with global trade and economic matters.

Historically in America Unions have been enjoying strong support from the public. 72% of the American in 1936 approved labor unions. Union approval attained the greatest percentage in 1953 and 1957 when it attained a percentage of 75. In the 2000s, approval lowered to 60%, prior to the election of Barack Obama as president. During President Obama Administration, they were a series of labor market rules to upsurge worker pay and improve collective bargaining. The most significant of these were the overtime pay and persuader rules from the Department of Labor (DOL), and the micro-union, joint employer, and, Union election regulations from the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). However, since the introduction, these policies have faced analysis in the courts and in Congress. President Trump has been working hard to repeal several of these rules. This is one of the biggest challenge labor unions is facing now in America. This marks the largest setback in the Legislature Mark for the Democrats, particularly Mr. Murphy who has the full Democratic support in the State Senate and Assembly. Hence, it is difficult to labor movements to pass law due to persistent fights and opposition they faced while influencing lawmakers of their progressive agendas.

The labor movement presently finds itself in an irregular period. The current attack anti-union forces have managed to weaken union organizational model in the labor strongholds entailing Michigan and Wisconsin several of these attacks are unsuccessful unable to conquer the remains of labor's real strength. However, its future seems burl since it has few political allies to enable it to survive.

Reference

Dark, T. E. (2001). The unions and the Democrats: An enduring alliance. Cornell University Press.Series, I. R. R. A. (2015). 1964 Regulating Union Government. Members-only Library. Retrieved from: http://www.lerachapters.org/OJS/ojs-2.4.4-1/index.php/LERAMR/article/view/2483