Abstract Laborstrikes by union workers have become a part of American history. This paper discusses how the consequences of such strikes are positive or negative depending on who is reviewing the outcomes. The writer explains how laborstrikes once were usually a matter of human rights; now, more often than not, they revolve around the bottom-line issues of wages and health care.
From the Paper "Motivations for strikers vary, such as higher wages, better benefits, bargaining rights, legislation, job control and dignity, as well as to unite for fellow workers of another race, religion, ethnicity, or sex (Strikes pp). And the results of such strikes have been just as varied, from motivating groundbreaking legislation that defined new rights for all citizens as well as the workers, to the destruction of laborers? organization and the loss of livelihoods (Strikes pp). Moreover, strikes have shaped the future of corporations and the overall economy, as well as political culture on the federal and local level (Strikes pp)."
Abstract This paper discusses labor conflicts, particularly in the form of strikes. It looks at the reasons why workers may decide to strike and the effects of their strike on the company. The paper then presents a hypothetical labor conflict and analyzes the elements of the case in order to show the different angles that can play out in a labor conflict, from the perspective of the worker and the employer.
Table of Contents:
Hypothetical Labor Conflict
Analysis
From the Paper "Both parties were advancing different interests to protect and secure their future. The workers were trying to fight for increased living standards and a more comfortable way of life. In contrast, the company was trying to secure its future financial standing. It is also every company's purpose to profit from their businesses, and profits are always aimed to go up as this would increase a company's stock price and access to low interest financing. No company would give away its earnings to its workers. Moreover, a company's future viability would also be advantageous to its workers as this would guarantee that the company would not go into bankruptcy thereby guaranteeing that they would enjoy their retirement and pension packages. There are also three other major interests that were at play here, the interest of the riding public, other businesses and the city. The mayor's intervention was in response to the ill effects that the strike caused to the city, public and other businesses. Although the mayor acted rather late, he still managed to influence both sides to compromise in the end."
Abstract This paper explains that the post-World War II years in Canada witnessed the fight for labor reform, resulting in great strides by the labor movement in advancing the conditions, rights and wages of the workforce. To illustrate the history of this achievement, the author discusses the origins of the post-war collective bargaining system, the labor movement in Quebec, ethnically split labor markets, immigrant working women and the organization of the civil service. The 1946 steel strike, the 1965 postal strike and the generational conflict in the labor movement of the 1960s are also presented in the paper to underscore the difficulties encountered by the Canadian labor movement.
Table of Contents:
Objective
Growth in Union Membership and the Labor Movement
Government Legislation - Supports Collective Bargaining
Government Order-in-Council P.C. 2685
NASCO Organized by SWOC
New Policy and Collective Bargaining Act Passed
Labor Court - Collective Bargaining Act Details
Corporatism Evolves into Business Reform
Liberal Humanism and Economic Planning
Ethnically Submerged Split Labor Market
Porters Unionized in 1942 and Establish Agreement in1945
Summary and Conclusion
From the Paper "It is related that, in June of 1940, the government proclaimed order-in-council P.C 2685: a declaration of principles which the government hoped labor and management would adopt. It was the government's hope to proactively address unrest in the industrial sector and thereby "prejudice the war effort." This order was a formula that addressed resolving disputes and provided encouragement to employers to recognize unions voluntarily as well as good faith negotiation and dispute resolution in a conciliatory fashion."
Abstract This paper discusses the rise of labor unions and what working conditions were like before labor unions. The paper fist relates that, with the rise in industry, workers were viewed as merely extensions of the machines that they operated, with their factory owners not caring about endangering them. The paper then looks at the National Labor Union, the first national labor federation in the United States and how it led to the formation of the American Federation of Labor. The paper also looks at the American Railway Union and the Industrial Workers of the World international union. The paper describes the Great Railway Strike, the Haymarket affair and the Triangle shirtwaist factory fire. The paper also outlines the main leaders of the labor unions.
From the Paper "With the rise in industry, workers were viewed as merely extensions of the machines that they operated. They lost their identity as people which resulted in low wages and long hours. Factory owners did not care about endangering their employees. Industries such as the cotton trade were particularly difficult conditions as steam engines made the workplace very hot. Machinery was also not blocked off thus workers were exposed to the moving parts of the machines all day. ("Working Conditions During the Industrial Revolution.")
"Garment factories operated on a sweatshop system. The poorly ventilated rooms made the work uncomfortable while workers sat side by side doing a small piece of the work and passing it on to the next person. With this system, a worker would never be skilled enough to make an entire garment. Oftentimes workers were forced to stay late into the night until all the work was done or else they would not be paid for the day's work. ("What was the effect of the industrial revolution on factory workers?.""
Abstract This paper addresses such questions as to why there were air strikes in 2001, how the strikes were settled and why President Bush became involved with the air strikes.
From the Paper "Almost every year the threat of airline strikes seem to happen. Approximately 97 percent of airline labor disputes will be solved without them going on strike. The airlines do not have good public relations. "In fact, the industry's very structure and the disagreement between labor and management about who runs the enterprise create persistent tensions even when the employees own the airline" (Freeman1). The pilot may believe that management is extraneous and themselves as indispensable."
Abstract This paper looks at the two main characters in the Anthracite Coal Strike of 1902: John Mitchell, President of the United Mine Workers and Teddy Roosevelt, President of the United States. The paper explores how the strike they settled had implications for labor relations and the growth of unions forever after.
From the Paper "The union president, Mitchell, was only 28 when he became president of the United Mine Workers of America. Born in Braidwood, Illinois, in 1870, he was an orphan by age seven and, six years later, was working in the Illinois coal mines. The age of 13 was not, at the time, particularly young for a mineworker. At age 15, he joined the Knights of Labor, and in 1896, at age 16, was elected secretary-treasurer of the northern Illinois district. In 1897, he was elected a member of the Illinois district executive board, and later that year, was appointed national organizer. (Lynch and McDonald, 49)"
Abstract This paper examines the need for cost consequence in order for a laborstrike to be effective. The writer explores the Philadelphia city workers' strike of 1986 and compares it to the baseball strike of 1981 to illustrate which one was more effective. The writer argues that the baseball strike had more influence and pull because of the financial impact that it had on the national economy.
Table of Contents:
Introduction
Strike Worker's Strike Baseball Strike Final Analysis
Conclusion
From the Paper "The baseball strike held a ripple effect power over the nation. When the players stopped playing the vendors who provided the food did not have anywhere to sell their product. They ceased ordering food or supplies from their vendors who in turn felt the financial impact and had to adjust their own production lines in recognition of the strike and its impact on the bottom line.
"There were also many revenue dollars lost that had already been spent in advertising for upcoming games. Local advertising attempts were wasted as were the nationally printed calendars and other items of interest that had to do with the game. The strike centered on the free agent issues of the profession. The owners had lost in court and in collective bargaining but still demanded that they hold the rights over their players when it came to the free agency draft."
Abstract The paper discusses labor relations and the relative merits or weaknesses of certain collective bargaining agreements. The paper explains that when an employer and a union representative engage in a bilateral decision making process, it is termed labor contract negotiations, or more recently a collective bargaining situation. The paper relates that the effect of the collective bargaining agreements on major league sports in the United States has been very significant to all labor relations. The paper offers a recent example of the uses of collective bargaining as was seen in the application of a contract for the players of the National Football League. The paper concludes that ultimately, the advent of the collective bargaining agreement within sports has been beneficial since it decreases the number of strikes and lockouts and keeps the players, owners and fans happy.
From the Paper "For many years, players of team sports were not considered to be workers who labored in a way that would be covered by the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). In fact, in 1922, the Supreme Court stated that baseball clubs were accepted from anti-trust regulations and this effectively thwarted any attempts by baseball players to unionize for even the most basic protections. What one must remember is that these sports teams, while generally only focusing on the players, have other employees and so sport protection came with the allowance of the baseball players to engage in collective bargaining in 1969."
Abstract This paper examines the struggle for fair working conditions and rewards for nurses, through the case study of the Youngstown nurse strike. The paper looks at the issue of discrimination towards women, the demand for increased wages and revision of salary structures. It describes the union involvement in the strike in confrontation with the hospital administration.
From the Paper "Whenever we talk about a labor conflict in any region, the first thing that comes to our mind is the issue of strikes in the manufacturing industry. The usual concept that comes to our minds is of men struggling to establish rights in the workplace. We rarely think of the struggles of women, especially the health care workers. However, in many parts of the country women in health care have been involved in similar important struggles."
Abstract This paper explains that the labor union represents an attempt on the part of the "lower" working class to, through organization and cooperation, dominate the "upper" industrialist or ruling class. The author points out that strikes and protests, which are inherently violent, can be easily seen to be a result not of the ills of unionism, but rather as a natural consequence of the way in which industry and the ruling class have historically responded to these protests with violent measures. The author reflects that, most people believe unions were once effective tools to help works but are now useless or even dangerous, is a tribute to the success of the corporate media spin.
Table of Content
Introduction
?Sticks and Stones....?
"Words Will Never Hurt Me"?
Conclusion
From the Paper "As explained in the beginning, in many ways the conflict between labor and the industrialist is both natural and unavoidable. While as a supposedly enlightened species, we may wish that we had evolved past the point of needing dominance and being driven by genetic greed that is hardly the case. Nothing is more natural than the desire of the dominant individuals -- the upper class -- to wish to remain dominant, and to pass that dominance to their offspring by way of inherited class position (which indicates an inflexibility of the class system). Yet it is important to remember that we are not only Darwinistic creatures, but that we are pack creatures. While in a wolf pack or a lion pride the dominant and their children eat first, the submissives also eat. Industry practices that strip workers of a working wage, or promote dangerous working environments which can get people killed are failing as leaders and failing to recognize the importance of a pack mentality. Additionally, it must never be forgotten that in a natural state, dominance is always there to be challenged. The workers movement holds a legitimate place in the balance of society in that it allows the lower classes to challenge the dominant classes. While the dominant classes are holding out for now, every creature grows old with age, and it is possible that some day the system will change. Or perhaps someday human evolution will move past the stage of a greedy primate pack in which some horde more than they need while others starve, and reach a more egalitarian pack mentality. Bloom points out that "Mankind has always been cutting one another's throats. Do you not believe . . . that hawks have always preyed upon pigeons" Then ... if hawks have always had the same nature, what reason can you give why mankind should change theirs?? Yet some things have changed in nature. That is the very purpose of evolution, and it gives us hope for our own society."
Abstract This paper explores the history of the labor unions in America, from the end of World War Two. The paper discusses a number of important events and issues relating to the labor movement and labor unions including the "Taft-Hactley Act", "Operation Dixie", the steel industry crisis and the "Landrum-Griffin Act of 1959". After describing these events and their history, the paper takes a look at current trends in the labor movement and offers a general conclusion on the importance of the labor unions in the U.S.
From the Paper "As the wartime controls were relaxed after the War, the labor unions resumed their pent-up struggle for higher wages and better living conditions and the country witnessed a massive post-war strike wave. In the first, largest and longest postwar strike (November 1945 to March 1946), the United Automobile Workers Union under the umbrella of the CIO (Congress of Industrial Organizations) demanded that the General Motors Corp. should increase wages without increasing prices. The strike influenced later bargaining trends in which labor unions won contracts containing provisions for automatic wage increases on the basis of rises in the cost of living."
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 paper discusses the labor laws that were passed, including the Norris-LaGuardia Act of 1932, the National Labor Relations Act or the Wagner Act of 1935, the Taft Hartley Act of 1947 and the Landrum Griffin Act of 1959. The paper shows how labor legislation changed as technology evolved and the nature of labor was affected. The paper concludes that, today, labor has only a small role to play in the production of goods and services, and that is probably the reason for its change of importance in society.
Outline:
Introduction
Analysis
Conclusion
From the Paper "Let us start with the first law that was passed, and this is the Norris-LaGuardia Act of 1932. We will not get into the semantics and simply state what the law wanted to do. It gave the workers a right to join a labor union while in employment and this was through banning of what is called yellow dog contracts. This gave the labor unions the right to organize themselves among workers and stopped court injunctions during labor disputes with management. (Norris-LaGuardia Act) As one can see the greatest emphasis is on what has been called yellow dog contract. This contract is between the employer and the employee and the employee promises not to join a labor union during employment as a part of his employment contract."
Abstract This paper provides a thorough survey of the history of organized labor and how the main ideas developed. It explains how the trade unions developed and became popular and how they are the key "mouth-piece" for lower-level workers today. Labor theories are also discussed and compared.
From the Paper "The workplace has always been subject to continuous and ever evolving transformations and changes. Change is one certainty for both individuals and organizations. Technology has changed the way we work and live. In the pre-industrial era, workers lived in isolation; they crafted goods required at their homes and farms"people worked hard at being self-sufficient. The industrial revolution in the past century changed our way of life. People moved to cities and towns"pre-determined by the locations of factories and industries. The new worker was often taught a single skill that was used repetitively in mass production in an assembly-line setup. Whereas in the past, an individual sold goods and produce that he or she personally created or grew, the modern day worker sold his time."
