Union labor can sometimes be the most terrifying thing for large corporations because they often feel like there will be economic losses. After all, workers will continue to push for higher wages and better benefits. This can cause business leaders to stress if employees are always asking for more money.

From the standpoint of the corporation, it can be bad. But sometimes unions are necessary if people are being overworked and under-compensated. Unions can help increase pay for workers data from the Bureau of labor statistics shows that non-union workers have median weekly earnings that are 83% of the earnings for union workers. Unions aren’t just benefiting union members they also help members outside the union because if companies want to get workers they have to compete with the union wages. Unions can be great organizations to be a part of as an employee because they protect and defend your rights. They fight for what you deserve, and they even set norms that can be extended to the rest of the economy.

But not all things are good about Unions either. Unions can make it difficult for employees to get promoted, and even difficult to fire not-so-great workers. Because Unions tend to be influenced by seniority. That means if you a young buck trying to scale in the company it is a while before you become a manager. Unions can also be very costly they tend to charge due and fees. Which for some people is not something they can afford. Because Unions are so seniority based they are also closed-cultured. Meaning there is not much diversity in the workplace. The people that are in are in. A buddy of mine that works in a union said it’s great to work for a union because you get great pay. But the options are limited, you can only work in a specific industry. If you leave the union you could easily lose everything you’ve built. He also said it depends on the union you join some are flexible and others are not.

Most of what was presented this week on labor unions are similar to what I found during my research. Employers resist unions because union workers tend to receive more in wages and benefits. I can see why this may be upsetting if some union workers were being lazy and were being highly compensated. If I were to join a union I think it would because I know the industry I would want to be in for the rest of my life. And also because I want to make sure my worker conditions are met, and that I am being treated fairly.

But as a young professional now, I don’t think I would because right now I don’t want to be glued to one specific job. I want to be able to move around and travel the world before settling down and working for a company for the rest of my life.

Citations

Josephson, A. (2022, August 22). The Pros and cons of Unions. SmartAsset. Retrieved December 2, 2022, from https://smartasset.com/career/the-pros-and-cons-of-unions

Banerjee, R. • B. A. (n.d.). Unions are not only good for workers, they’re good for communities and for democracy: High unionization levels are associated with positive outcomes across multiple indicators of economic, personal, and democratic well-being. Economic Policy Institute. Retrieved December 2, 2022, from https://www.epi.org/publication/unions-and-well-being/