Labor Unions

With a couple of internships and experience working in construction, union workers are something that I have come across quiet frequently. After doing more research on this topic and reviewing this week’s material I have learned more about the impact of unions and what they have to offer.

Pros and Cons

To start labor unions offer better wages to union workers than that of non union workers. “According to the BLS, American workers who are members of unions earned a median weekly wage of $1,041 in 2017. The median wage for non-union workers was $829, only 80% as high” (Livingston). This is primarily due to union workers usually having better opportunity in holding skilled jobs that pay better. Another pro that labor unions offer is better benefits. According to the U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics there is a bit of discrepancy in the way union workers and non union workers have access to benefits. In their 2017 report, they found that 94 percent of all union workers had better access to health plans and retirement plans than that of 67 percent of non union workers. In addition to better benefits union workers get better working conditions. With unions pushing for better work condition laws in the past one can assume that union workers will have better working conditions.

Unions have a lot of benefits however they also have cons. First the most up front and well know con are union dues. These are fees that an employer must pay every paycheck. These costs may be fixed or may range according to your financial earnings. In addition to union dues, union workers have less control over decisions. Typically unions have a leader and whatever that leader says goes. This may bring tension in the workforce between workers and employees, giving more of a boss feel to supervisors rather than partners.

Key Takeaways

Unions have accomplished and can accomplish many benefits for workers and society. Unions can help to improve worker productivity, push up wages and can even help to evenly distribute wealth in the country that can help with poverty. However, there is also potential problems that unions possess such as bringing labor costs up, higher unemployment and higher prices for goods and services from employers. I think that that main takeaway is that unions offer a great deal, however they also have major drawbacks to workers and society. So if you are thinking of joining a union do your research and learn more about unions before joining one to see if it is the right choice. Of course the goal is to minimize those drawbacks and do more good than bad. So to start unions should consider easing off their seniority rules and allowing younger workers to improve, allowing workers to have more of a say in their working decisions and ultimately thinking long-term with budgeting this would definitely convince more people to join a union.

References

Livingston, Amy, “Labor Unions in the United States – How They Work, Pros & Cons.” Money Crashers, 17 July 2018, www.moneycrashers.com/labor-unions-united-states/.