Labor Unions

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that the US labor union movement began in the 19th century as a response to the poor working conditions of the Industrial Revolution. Next, the author describes the factors that led to the expansion of the membership in this movement, which peaked in 1945. The author relates that today unions faces with decreasing significance because of declining dues and diminishing political and social relevance. However, the paper concludes, there are still many pockets of the American workforce for whom unionism has relevance especially in the service sector, which has a high percentage of minorities or new immigrants as employees.

Table of Contents:
Background
The Rise and Fall of Unions
Unions Today
The Future of the Union Movement
Conclusion

From the Paper:

"Union recruiting was an aggressive endeavor at the time. The right of workers to organize was not widely recognized, and corporations used a variety of techniques include strikebreakers and the dismissal of organizers to discourage workers from organizing. Unions, for their part, typically sold themselves on the basis of the benefits they offered workers. They would plant an employee or group of employees in a target company and quickly begin to rally support for better working conditions, wages and benefits."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Parks, James. (2008). Trumka: Don't Let Opponents Divide Us by Race in 2008 Elections. AFL-CIO. Retrieved July 4, 2008 from http://blog.aflcio.org/2008/07/03/trumka-dont-let-opponents-divide-us-by-race-in-2008-election
• Sewell, Dan. (2007). Labor Unions Fight for Relevance as US Industry Restructures. USA Today. Retrieved July 4, 2008 from http://www.usatoday.com/money/workplace/2007-03-24-unions_N.htm
• No author. (2006). Generation Y: The Millenials. Bureau of Labor & Statistics. Retrieved from http://www.nasrecruitment.com/talenttips/NASinsights/GenerationY.pdf
• No author. (2008). Why You Need a Union. AFL-CIO. Retrieved July 4, 2008 from http://www.aflcio.org/joinaunion/why/
• Wachter, Michael. (2007). The Rise and Decline of Unions. Washington Post. Retrieved July 4, 2008 from http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/17/AR2007071701713.html

More papers on Labor Unions:

• Essay # 69735 : "Films about Labor Unions"
• Research Paper # 117189 : "Labor Unions"
• Analytical Essay # 144029 : "American Labor Unions Prior to World War II"
• Analytical Essay # 141983 : "U.S. and Canadian Labor Unions"

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