Labor Unions

After researching about labor unions and comparing the pros and cons to the learning materials from this week a decision as to whether I would pick to join a labor union is difficult. Some pros the I found for labor unions were higher wages, better benefits, improved working conditions, and legal representation. These pros alone seem to ask the question of “why doesn’t everyone join a labor union?” Well, the cons that I found of labor unions could be why, union dues, less flexibility, seniority systems, and potential for strikes are just some of the cons for labor unions and after doing some research it seems like people put a lot more weight on the cons of labor unions than the pros. However, with these pros and cons, along other research that I did while looking up labor unions like the principle of what a union does where the union democratically elects a leader to represent them to fight for better wages, better benefits, and better working conditions.

Coming back to the conversation on if I would join a labor union or not. After careful consideration, I think I would look to join a labor union, if and only if, the career that I was going into was supported by labor unions. To me, I feel like the pros outweigh the cons especially if the career that I am going into has a labor union to support it. However, I do not think it is mandatory for someone to join a labor union to be successful in their career field, I just think that the labor union gives a way for individuals to “sweeten” the deal when they are looking for jobs.

Sources:

What Unions Do | AFL-CIO

Pros and Cons of Labor Unions

Labor Union: Definition, History, and Examples