Labor unions have played a major role in shaping workplace protections, from collective bargaining rights to grievance procedures. As we learned this week, unions often emerge when employees feel unheard, dissatisfied, or unprotected, and believe that collective action is the only way to make a meaningful change (Swift, 2025). Some additional research showed that unions can raise wages, improve safety, and strengthen job security, but can also create rigid rules and increase costs for employers (Klawans, 2025).
My research reinforced this complexity. Unionization clearly offers some benefits, but the quality of representation can vary greatly. I spoke with my partner about his experience when he was working for a large garage door warehouse. His experience was less than positive, but he said he could see how it would be beneficial in another setting. He paid union dues for nearly two years and saw his union representative once in that time. He also mentioned that despite being a part of a union, the company had many safety and HR violations happen regularly. This is a great example of how poor administration or union leadership can undermine the protections they are supposed to provide (Swift, 2025).
My key takeaway is that unions are not inherently good or bad, but only as strong as their leadership, member involvement, and transparency. Personally, I would consider joining a union if I felt as though my employer was ignoring concerns, if there were unfair labor practices, or if safety issues were not being addressed. However, if I felt that management consistently demonstrated fair practices and open communication, I may not feel the need for union representation.
References
Klawans, J. (2025, February 13). The Pros and cons of Labor Unions. The Week. https://theweek.com/business/labor-unions-pros-cons
Swift, M. (2025a). Unionization and Collective Bargaining. Lecture.