Abstract In this paper the author examines some of the works of Karl Marx, focussing on the theme of value of labor-power, which is a key point in Marx's socio-economic theory, and determines the value of commodities. The paper looks at the importance of the wage system and discusses Marx's point that value comes from social labor and profit comes from extracting unpaid labor from the laborer. The author continues to discuss the works of Karl Marx and some of the statements he has made in reference to labor-power. He also tries to put across the capitalist point of view, by giving a counter argument for each of Marx's points. In conclusion the author states that we must either accept that Marx failed in his attempt at a truly materialist explanation of history and society, or admit that machines and animals exist as social laborers, the same as humans.
From the Paper "Marx's argument is persuasive, and the syllogism is formally valid when we include the suppressed premise: each premise makes a clean step to the next. However, premise two lacks much-needed justification for the syllogism to be true within Marx's system of dialectical materialism. Premise 2 is a metaphysical proposition, not a physical-historical proposition. Nowhere does Marx explain why labor-power is only a capacity of a living worker. More specifically, Marx does not explain the difference between a power-loom and a human weaver. From the capitalist's view, both require upkeep (or some of the means of subsistence), both perform social labor, and both must be replaced when they wear out, or die. A possible reply Marx could give is that people are the root of the power-loom's productive force: that is, people produce the power-loom and maintain the power-loom. However, capitalists also maintain the laborer, by paying his wages. Within the system, the capitalist must care for the worker and power-loom in the same manner."
Tags: materialsim, unpaid, laborer, society, worker, productive, individual, force
Abstract This paper discusses the labor laws relevant to the guarantee of a non-discriminatory work environment. It focuses on how labor laws are applied within the labor union environment in protecting against discrimination. It explains that the labor laws in the United States are primarily governed by the U.S. Department of Labor which oversees approximately 180 various laws and regulations governing employment.
From the Paper "Labor laws in the United States are overseen by the Department of Labor which, collectively, oversees approximately 180 various federal labor oriented laws. This body of laws and regulations oversee many workplace activities relevant to more than 10 million unique employers and more than 125 million unique employees. The following major labor laws constitute some of the most broadly applicable and well-known labor laws. Additionally, since unions constitute some the largest forces in labor across North America, labor laws pertinent to unions are also discussed. However, it should be mentioned that regardless of union membership, union members are, of course, entitled to the same protections on the existing body of labor laws that any employee is as well as a host of other protections vis-?vis his or her union contract. Pay & Schedule The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) outlines the standards for wages and overtime pay, which affect most private and public employment in ..."
Abstract This paper examines how one of the most important laws concerning child labor was the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938. It looks at how with its provisions imposing severe civil and criminal penalties and allowing for confiscation of good made with child labor, the Fair Labor Standards Act forced employers to stop using children in thousands of jobs. With remarkable success, the law simply outlawed child labor.
From the Paper "Among the social reform advocates of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, no issue roused more determined calls for action than child labor. Florence Kelly of Hull House was among the first to report on the matter, but soon there were numerous rigorously researched reports, telling of children underpaid, overworked, uneducated, and profoundly unhappy with their lot. While many of the working children were in agriculture, the worst conditions were in manufacturing, whether in southern textile mills, northern canneries, urban tenements, or mountain coal mines. "
Abstract In this article, the writer explains that labor migration vis-a-vis female domestic labor is the temporary movement of women, predominantly, but not exclusively, from the third world, to another global region wherein they work as servants so as to accumulate capital that they then can return to their families back home in the form of remittances. Besides being a highly gendered phenomenon, some have argued that the aforementioned labor migration renders these women little more than the contemporary "servants of globalization." The writer argues that this both is, and is not, the case. Specifically, the writer maintains that while these women certainly do serve the interests of others and certainly do find themselves performing menial tasks, they do not necessarily face the same burdens as "servants" from previous ages; that is to say, there are legal protections in place for all workers in developed lands and the increased scrutiny now surrounding the phenomenon of third-world labor migration makes it less likely for these women to be taken advantage of. The writer concludes that while it is largely true that domestic laborers are the "servants of (twenty-first century) globalization," one must be careful to avoid associating their plight with the truly harrowing plight of previous generations of servants.
From the Paper "In addition, while the global economy may make it easier for affluent individuals in the developed world to find cheap domestic labor abroad, the highly-integrated global economy also allows domestic laborers alternatives that might not have been available even a generation ago. To wit, if a domestic worker or care-giver is unsatisfied with the state of things in one part of the world, she can utilize the internet, liberalized rules (in most countries) vis-a-vis work visas and citizenship application, and the assistance of mass communication technology that allows for expeditious communication between global networks of similarly-situated workers, to find a position more in keeping with her desires.
"The idea of globalization serving domestic laborers by bringing them into contact with other, similarly-situated individuals through mass communication (even as it also isolates them from loved ones) deserves some further illustration."
Abstract This paper discusses how the national labor movement of Japan has traditionally been controlled by the nation's political factions. The writer describes the plight of Japanese workers in modern times, as labor unions that served the needs of management rather than the workers were created. The writer also discusses the rise of a national labor organization called Rengo in the 1990s in response to the control of the employee unions by political factions. However, the political entities within the nation reacted by creating a "union" that sought to end the efforts of the national labor movement and force the maintenance of policies that were intended to continue to oppress the workers of Japan.
From the Paper "According to Oaks "Japanese workers have failed to achieve labor rights that are standard fare throughout the developed world" (para. 4). In the 1980s it was evident that workers in Japan were faced with 46-48 hour days with no benefits, such as sick leave and a social security system for their retirement (Oaks para. 5). Oaks reported that regardless of the fact that the salaries that Japanese workers earned were comparable to workers in the United States, the ability of the Japanese worker to provide for his family was more difficult because of the increased cost of living (para. 6). The labor movement in Japan has continuously fought for worker rights that would address these problems. However, even when the government or political realm agrees to make changes to policy, those changes are generally masked by conditions of change that alleviate the actual policy from making a difference."
Tags: unrest productivity profit, International Labor Organization, law industry
Abstract This paper describes the unfair labor practices during the 1930s. The author relates, section by section, the 1935 National Labor Relations Act, also known as the Wagner Act after New York Senator Robert Wagner who backed it, which was passed to counteract some of these unfair labor practices such as child labor. The paper explains how the existence of the NLRA helped pave the way for many of the labor laws, which are taken for granted today, including the civil rights laws of the 1950s and 60s.
From the Paper "Section 8 of the NLRA listed, and prohibited, five unfair labor practices. Employers were prohibited from interfering with the employees union. This interference was interpreted as more than intimidation. Employers could not give conditions to any financial support they might offer. If they chose to contribute money or resources to the union it had to be with no strings attached.
Also, employers could not interfere with or restrain employees while they were exercise their right to organize or bargain collectively. Next, employers could not put conditions on employment, which could be interpreted to preclude or force union involvement."
Abstract The basis of Smith's theories about the division of labor in human production rests in his repeated reference to "the natural" effects of production. Marx, on the other hand, understands production as a structure that is premised on social inequalities amongst humans. Where Smith regards "self-interest" as the natural force behind increasing a nation's wealth, Marx regards differences in social class as the source of exploitation in labor. Smith idealizes the division of labor, and Marx & Engels both regard exploitation of social inequality as the basis for divisions in labor.
Abstract This paper explains that the division of labor is a significant concept which involves both the process itself and the effects of the process on laborers. More specifically, the paper explains that the division of labor is a fundamental theoretical and practical principle that involves the actual process of separating labor into distinct roles which do not let the worker manufacture a completed product, but rather separates the work into dissociated roles which are picked up by different skilled and semi-skilled workers, each completing a part of the process.
From the Paper "The result and goal of this process is ultimately profit. And it follows that the capitalists running the production operation will use the division of labor to separate their working pools into skilled, highly-paid labor and semi-skilled, low-pay labor. Barbara Garson, realizing this conclusion, calls even the efficiency of the division of labor into question: "The main advantage of the auto assembly line to an employer is not speed but control... the requirement for control over unwilling workers shapes the division of labor at least as much as any straightforward calculation of the most efficient methods." The workers are perhaps thus unwilling because the division of labor has rendered the satisfaction possible and perhaps inherent in making a whole product from its individual parts to a more mechanistic process of manufacture in which one worker is responsible solely for a monotonously repeated process of sub-manufacture in which the worker feels naturally dissociated from the end product of his/her labors."
Abstract This paper discusses two Hollywood films on labor unions, corruption and labor-capital conflict. It explores how each film depicts union activity. The films are Elia Kazan's 1954 "On the Waterfront" and Paul Schrader's 1997 "Blue Collar. The paper examines the different style and approach to union politics of each film.
From the Paper Hollywood has often used its capacity as a producer of popular entertainment to address political and ideological concerns..."
Abstract This paper discusses child labor laws in the United States. It starts off by discussing the history of child labor in this country and why there was a great need for reform. It also tells the reader the struggle that reformers went through to get child labor laws on the books. Next, the laws regarding child labor are discussed for today's times. The consequences of violating the laws are also mentioned.
From the Paper "The United States government has enacted many laws and regulations over the years to protect the rights of workers in this country from unfair labor practices, employment discrimination and abuse. One of the groups of people that the government has enacted this type of legislation to protect is that of children, some of the most vulnerable workers. Throughout this paper I will examine child labor laws in the United States. I will give the background for such laws and the history of child labor in this country, including situations which created the needs for these laws. Furthermore, I will discuss how these laws have evolved over the years and what effect child labor laws have on the workplace today. Although child labor is not a big issue today as far more youth are in school than working during current times, this was not always the case."
Abstract This paper discusses the power of labor unions and their tactics.
The paper first explains that labor relations are a natural outgrowth of labor unions that depict the relationships between the unions and management. The paper then discusses how it is in both labor unions' and managements' interests to cooperate and work alongside each other.
From the Paper "A labor union is a representative group that can bargain with management on such diverse issues as wages, working conditions, relations, and even health care coverage. They can also recommend to the union members certain actions be taken by the membership in order to influence the outcome of such bargaining. Unions are also known for the influence they wield in regards to politics and implementing or changing laws that affect their membership(s)."
Abstract The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), a federation of autonomous labor unions in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Panama, and U.S. dependencies, was formed in 1955 by the merger of the American Federation of Labor (AFL) and the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO). This paper traces the history of the AFL-CIO, including the events that led up to the 1955 merger. It also discusses the organization's political leanings, operations, and presidents.
From the Paper "From the start of Kirkland's term, the AFL-CIO was forced to adapt to a number of adverse economic trends. Union membership dropped from 33% of all U.S. workers in 1960 to 14% in the late 1990s. To shore up organized labor's declining influence, the AFL-CIO concentrated on organizing service workers and public employees and improving labor unity. In 1981 the UAW rejoined the union; the Teamsters (1988) and United Mine Workers (1989) later followed."
This paper examines the questionable labor practices and sub-standard working conditions in various Asian countries that produce the Nike Corporation's products.
Abstract This paper discusses the various investigations by different sources into rumored unfair labor practices by sports equipment manufacturer Nike. This paper details the results of the investigations which revealed the same pattern of problems in various Nike production plants in Asia. The writer of this paper compares Nike's labor practices to those of other factories in Asia. This paper also contains strategic solutions to improving the current working conditions of the laborers employed in these same plants.
Outline
Introduction
Working Conditions
Long Working Hours
"Wages May Be Low, But People Want These Jobs"
Evaluation
Bibliography
From the Paper "It is true that workers in shoe factories in Indonesia enjoy conditions which are better than those in many other industries, and for some, better than those at home in the village. And the jobs are sought after. But what this means is that, while things may be bad in these factories, they are even worse elsewhere - especially for the unemployed. For despite the increase in the number of factory jobs in Indonesia, unemployment among 20 to 24 years old is still very high. The people who work in these factories have not, as the quote above implies, been drawn away from subsistence agriculture by better incomes in manufacturing."
Abstract This paper describes the emotional labor involved in being a psychiatrist. It takes as a starting point Hochschild's study of flight attendants, "The Managed Heart", which describes the difference between emotional labor systems and private emotional systems. The paper describes two distinct contexts of psychiatric emotional labor: diagnostic and therapeutic.
From the Paper "From a historical perspective, the phrase "emotional labor" is strange because it suggests that things that occur naturally to us in our daily lives might constitute "work." If this is true, is our everyday eating "nutritional labor," or chatting with friends "social labor"? Yet in many fields, empathy and other proper emotional responses to others are a necessary job task to be fulfilled on demand. This demand characteristic marks the difference between labor and non-labor: labor is doing that which is required of us, whether or not we want to do it, while non-labor is doing what we want to do, whether or not we are required to."
Abstract This paper examines and reacts to the photographs of Lewis Hine, specifically those that address the nature of child labor in the United States in the early twentieth century. The discussion includes touches on Hine's own life, the nature and extent of child labor in the United States, but also the implications that these photographs have for the current issue of child labor in the modern world.
From the Paper "Child labor is one of the most disturbing phenomena in the developed world. The notion that children barely old enough to go to school might slave away twelve or more hours in a workshop or factory is repugnant to modern sensibilities. In the 21st century in the West, it is possible to look down on child labor with a moral certitude with which few can argue. Yet, we often forget that the development of the modern industrial First World was built on the labor of children throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries. It shouldn't be a surprise, then, that many developing nations throughout the Third World are currently developing their own industrial infrastructure on the backs of children."
