The Need for Strong Unions?


Although union membership has steadily declined in the US over the last few decades, so have workers rights and benefits; as the power distance between decision makers and employees has increased, the deregulation of big business has throttled unionization efforts en masse until recently. While firms claim to have employee’s best interests at heart, their practices paint a very conflicting picture. In an ideally run, equitable world, there wouldn’t need to be unions because firms would either be mandated by law to provide these basic services, or the firms would provide them out of excess public pressure/tradition/norms. The recent rise of unionization efforts is a strong indicator that employees are not having their needs met, and do not feel like they have any levers with which they can affect their working conditions. In my research I was surprised to see how skewed the results were in favor of Big Business. Lots of implicitly derisive verbiage regarding unionization efforts and subtle union-busting language permeated anything that was put out by a for-profit enterprise. That in and of itself proves to me why we need stronger unions in this country; without laws protecting consumers and employers that are present in Europe/New Zealand/Australia, businesses will push the envelope to see what they can get away with, and what people will tolerate. Common pros of unionization include higher wages, more flexible working hours, higher safety standards, and most end up with better retirement/healthcare benefits as well. This is vitally important in a country with lagging wages and no meaningful social safety net, as union’s most often benefit the lowest classes of workers the most.

For all of my preaching, unions are not perfect and are subject to mismanagement, and even corruption in extreme cases, (ie police unions, organized crime connections, etc.). There are long term productivity concerns when considering equal treatment amongst employees. The argument is that not rewarding high performance can bring everyone’s morale down. There are also flexibility concerns for firms, who may feel stifled by regulations regarding staffing/layoffs/benefits. Hiring becomes a concern, and so do relationships between union and non-union employees. Union success is essentially subject to the negotiating and management skills of union leadership. A poorly managed union will not have the same successes that an empowered and intelligently managed union will.

I would join a union if I felt like my opportunities for recognition, development, and to have myself heart by management were being overlooked in favor of mistreatment. I think workers need to take back some power in our system; corporate profits have grown unsustainably for generations and lower-end workers have been feeling the squeeze for so long, that now middle class and upper middle class workers are feeling it too. If Congress won’t enact laws to protect employees from predatory and extractive business practices, then the workers should advocate for themselves until those changes can be implemented.

Source for pros/cons: https://environmental-conscience.com/labor-unions-pros-cons/

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