Labor Unions have many pros and cons associated with them. In the industry I work in, which is the construction industry, we are encouraged to use a lot of union workers who come from various different trades. After conducting some online research of labor unions, I found that one of the benefits of joining a labor union is that there is good compensation and benefits. I found that joining a union would secure better wages, benefits, and working hours for members of the unions. Another benefit that I found with joining a labor union is that they have really good legal representation in regards to labor disputes, grievances, and disciplinary actions. Although joining a labor union has many benefits, there are also some downsides of it which include members of the union having to pay dues and fees along with the cost to hire union laborers being more expensive than hiring privately.
Being that I work in the construction industry and work closely with union laborers, I had the opportunity to talk to some of them and see what their experience of being in the union is like. I found that most of them had a positive experience of being in the union because they were being compensated well along with always having hours to work. I think that this week’s materials do not explain how the union is structured well enough after what I found in my research along with talking to some members of the union. One of the main takeaways that I found was that there are private-sector unions and federal sector unions. I also learned that they must both file annual reports with the US department of labor to promote accountability and transparency.
Overall, after learning about labor unions from this weeks learning materials, I think that I would join one because there is job security along with the compensations and benefits being up to par with industry norms. As a project engineer for a construction company, I am also in charge of putting in dispatch requests for union laborers and I found that although the cost of hiring them are more expensive based on union wages, it would equal out in a way because our company would not have to pay to have them trained. Most union labors already have the knowledge to complete their tasks efficiently. Joining a labor union is not a bad decision because of its many benefits.
Work Cited:
“Unions 101.” U.S. Department of Labor, www.dol.gov/general/workcenter/unions-101.
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“Pros and Cons of Labor Unions.” HR Exchange Network, www.hrexchangenetwork.com/hr-compensation-benefits/articles/pros-and-cons-of-labor-unions.