Does America Need Unions?

There are several unions that are commonly known in America. Almost everyone has heard of unions such as the UAW, AFL-CIO, and the Teamsters. Unions are not as visible as they were many years ago, however they do still exist. The initial purpose of unions was to protect workers from unfair treatment and conditions in the workplace. In the past I always thought that unions were nothing more than organizations that met once a month and took employees hard earned money. It did not take me long to realize that unions due more than just collect dues. They serve as mediators between companies and employees. Unions do the following things: Enforce job descriptions, fight for employees that have been wrongfully terminated, and speak out on unsatisfactory working conditions. In some cases of unions did not exist many jobs would have been eliminated. Although only a small percentage of workers in America are represented by unions, yet the impact they have are very significant.

In the past unions mostly represented blue collar workers. There are many other areas of the workforce that desperately need union representation. The retail industry could really benefit from unions. I worked in retail for ten years. It is one area of the workforce where working conditions are highly unfair. Unions would definitely improve the retail work environment tremendously.

Unions have been essential in resolving minor conflicts between companies and workers before they become major issues. There were two cases in particular where a union had to intervene in situations concerning workers and UPS (United Parcel Service). The first case dealt with UPS's decision to increase the worker package lift requirement from 70 pounds to 150 pounds. This led to UPS workers that were members of the union to go on strike. After about two weeks of intense picketing the union was able to successfully resolve the issue between UPS and its workers regarding the package weight lift requirement. The second case involved UPS workers that were classified as part-time but worked in a full-time capacity. The workers did not receive adequate benefits or pay. Once again the union negotiated on behalf of the UPS employees to resolve the matter. Unions are important organizations for workers to be members of. There are many skeptics that believe that union's services are both outdated and useless. Unions are not only valuable entities that make meaningful contributions to workers, but also have lots of political and economic power.