Tyler McCleskey
Option 1:
After having done some more extensive research on unions, I feel that I have a better understanding of the pros and cons associated with them in regards to employers, employees, and society in general. Some pros associated with unions include worker protections, worker’s ability to defend themselves, increased power of negotiation, better pay and benefits for workers, etc (Gaille, 2018). Moreover, from this week’s readings, unions can also have positive impacts on morale, turnover, productivity, and minimal inequality (Kristof, 2015). While many believe that unions only provide benefits to workers themselves, it can be noted that they can also benefit their industries as a whole.
Meanwhile, some cons associated with unions include representatives participating in actions that go against worker wishes, encouraging dissent between employees and employers, and the limitation of employer influence (Gaille, 2018). Moreover, one of the readings from this week mentioned some examples of unions upholding incompetence, nepotism, etc (Kristof, 2015).
This research for the most part, supports the readings that we covered in this week’s lectures. The key takeaways being the unions can have both positive and negative impacts on employees, employers, and society. They can protect workers from unfair labor practices but they can also hold significant power that causes corruption within them. Overall, if I were working in a field where it was common to join a union, I likely would. Despite some downfalls with union representatives sometimes making decisions that go against worker wishes, I feel that they generally do a good job of simply protecting workers while offering the ability to provide better compensation and benefits.
Sources:
Gaille, L. (2018, June 21). 18 important pros and cons of Unions. Vittana.org. https://vittana.org/18-important-pros-and-cons-of-unions
Kristof, N. (2015, February 19). The cost of a decline in unions. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/19/opinion/nicholas-kristof-the-cost-of-a-decline-in-unions.html?smid=pl-share&_r=0