Labor Unions

Persuasive Essay # 101258

Labor Studies
Political Science > Lobbyists and Pressure Groups

Labor Unions

This paper explores the influence of public labor unions today.

2,226 words () | 5 sources | MLA | 2008 United States

Paper Summary:

The paper discusses the history of labor unions and disagrees with the belief that labor unions are archaic and provide few benefits to workers in the 21st century. The paper explores the political power and influence that labor unions have in shaping Senate and House legislation in the US, in addition to monitoring the policies that may impact domestic labor. The paper shows how labor union influence in contemporary United States politics and public policy has gained momentum in shaping the outcome of domestic and foreign policy.

Outline:
The Contemporary Role of Labor Unions
The Labor Union Power Game
Changes that Impacted the Labor Union Political Strategy

From the Paper:

"The original form and function of the labor union was to provide protection, benefits and a political voice for workers in manufacturing and skilled trades. In the early 20th century, the AFL-CIO was formed, and influential movers such as Samuel Gompers aided in the facilitation of increased wages and benefits for textile and manufacturing workers. The power of labor unions progressed so quickly and drastically, that President Franklin Delano Roosevelt included a labor regulation policy in the New Deal in the early 1930's. As a result, the Department of Labor was established to monitor the authenticity of labor unions in addition to regulating the practices and extent of power of these advocacy groups."

Sample of Sources Used:

Taylor Dark. The Unions and the Democrats: An Enduring Alliance. Cornell University Press. New York: 2001.
James M. Lindsay. The Promise and Peril of Legislative Reform. Governance for a New Century: Japanese Challenges, American Experiences. Japan Center for International Exchange. Tokyo: 2002.<http://72.14.209.104/search?q=cache:bXZHEKR0LXEJ:www.jcie.or.jp/thinknet/pdfs/new_lindsay.pdf+1974+congressional+decentralization&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=5&client=firefox-a>
Myron Lieberman. The Unions and Democrats: An Enduring Alliance, Review. Education Alliance Institute. Cornell University Press. New York: 1999.<http://www.educationpolicy.org/files/UnionsDems-bkrvw.htm>
S. Borrell. 1972 McGovern Reforms. University of Alabama. Montgomery: 2006.<http://72.14.209.104/search?q=cache:hGp5caGwu98J:bama.ua.edu/~sborrell/psc313/elect.ppt+1972+McGovern+Reforms&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=7&client=firefox-a>
Bradford Plumer. Labor's New Election Strategy: Bean Counter. The New Republic Online. 11 November 2006. <http://www.tnr.com/doc.mhtml?pt=unnoaCv9s41H7lIDCZk5jy%3D%3D>