Are Labor Unions For You?

Labor munitions are a controversial topic among employers and employees alike. In today's blog we will discuss the potential pros and cons employees and employers are facing when joining a labor union. Some employees may stray away from labor unions for reasons such as loss of autonomy. On the other hand, people may side with labor unions for reasons such as improved working conditions. This is why a divide was created, each individual has their own unique preferences in regard to their workplace. According to the Economy Policy Institute 16.2 million workers were represented by labor unions in 2023, which was an increase of 191,000 from the previous year. This may be due to their support for workers' rights such as compensation raises, better healthcare coverage, increased job security as well as protection from retaliation from employers. This is why I believe employers may have a bigger bias against unions than their employees, factors such as the loss of decision-making power including but not exclusive to the implementation of new policies, along with depleting the ability to create a competitive work environment by not being able to reward employees with financial benefits. Employees on the other hand have to weigh what is more important to them, on one side you have a more autonomous work environment, however, you lose the benefits of the union that I stated above. Above all else, I believe the biggest issue is the dues that employees are expected to pay to the union. Many employees feel as if they shouldn’t have to pay anymore when taxes are already taking a large chunk of their gross income. I know someone that’s represented by a labor union, and when I asked him what he thought about being unionized, he told me that he wishes he wasn't in one. When I asked why, he stated that his final straw was when a portion of their employees went on strike, and he had no income until the dispute was settled. With the dues each month and the strike, he seeked out a company that wasn’t under supervision of a union. After hearing out what he had to say, along with the research that I conducted I have come to the conclusion that I want to stay away from unions. I love the feeling of autonomy in my workplace and don’t want to have to pay dues to the union. Along with that, having no say in whether a strike or some implication arises to where there is no productivity in the workplace leads to me not getting paid those days in my opinion seems unfair to all workers who don’t participate in the strikes. For me to be supportive of a labor union, I would require the ability to make more choices as an employer, and as an employee, dues need to be lowered, more autonomous work environment, along with people who still show up to work during the strike still need to be allowed the ability to work and make money.