Labor Relations: Are Unions Still Relevant?

It would be fair to say that it was the Industrial Revolution which energized workers to form labor unions to create not only some standards for work environment, including safety, hours worked and, eventually, a fair wage. The Oxford Dictionary of English usage defines a labor union as "an organized association of workers, often in a trade or profession, formed to protect and further their rights and interests`" (Oxford 2006 1). At the end of the 19^th and beginning of the Twentieth centuries, the struggle for labor unions to have the rights for workers recognized by large corporations often resulted not only in strikes and lockouts, but serious bloodshed. The Pullman strike, and the Homestead disaster (with U.S. Steel) still remain black marks on American business. The idea of "organized labor" created Samuel Gompers' A F of L, and, later, Philip Murray's CIO. But, the government kept hand s off labor relations, allowing unions and management to fight it out for employee benefits and better working conditions, until the new Deal, in 1933 created the National Labor Relations Board. Now, government had a hand in labor relations that would be equitable to both parties.

"The greatest achievement of trade unions in the economy as a whole has been that they have made possible the government of industry by constitutional means" (Lerner 1956 322). It was the pro-labor New Deal which created Social Security and collective bargaining, which provided a fair means of creating decent working conditions and salaries to which both labor and management could come to an agreement. This was the time of greatest union membership, and the post-World War II era found unions gaining strength in coal mining, auto industry, steel, railroads and, eventually, farm workers.

Yet, today, union power is waning. Perhaps it began with the criminal behavior of Auto Workers' Jimmy Hoffa and Teamsters' president, Dave Beck. Also contributing factors up to the present day, was the outsourcing of jobs and the loss of industrial jobs. See what is happening to the Big Three American auto maskers, where hundreds of thousands of jobs are being lost, and the unions have had to agree. There are many companies- Wal Mart may be among the leaders, who have - and continue to resist unionization of their workers. Strikes, in the last several decades have not had the impact they once had- there have been strikes in movie industry unions, grocery and hotel workers. Seldom have unions representing strikers won their objectives in full.

It is interesting to note that departments called "Personnel" are now known as "human resources." These professionals not only do hiring and drug testing, but handle grievances. But, while companies see their workers as such "resources" most unions are leery of continued downsizing, mergers and moving jobs overseas. So, they tread a far lighter activity. Safety, work-related stress and health benefits are perhaps the major problem areas. Yet, today most companies see their employees as vital assets and often prefer to deal with them as individuals, rather than through unions. "Employees represent the largest and most important investment a company can make. Look at a company's list of expenses. Wages and salaries are right up there at the top. Therefore, doesn't it make sense that responsible management should do everything it can to nurture and protect its investment?" (Myamoto 1997 2). However, it is precisely this resource which affects the bottom line of American companies which makes the unions' hold less, and creates layoffs as a priority for remaining profitable.

There are conflicting points of view about the relevancy of unions today. The New York Times claims "Millions of workers,...are ripe for labor's message because of stagnating wages for ordinary workers, declining benefits, growing insecurity on the job, and a sense that the haves are leaving the have-nots further behind. Moreover, workers in the low-wage service sector are disproportionately women, immigrants and members of minority groups that have all been traditionally more open to unionization" (Greenhouse 2005 1). On the other hand: "We should begin to consider the possibility that existing labor unions and leaders might not be the way for unions to become relevant again. Maybe organizations outside traditional labor will be necessary" (Yates 2006 3).

Works Cited:

Greenhouse, S.: "Splintered, but Unbowed: Are Unions Still Relevant?" New York Times, July 30, 2005 www.nytimes.com/2005/07/30/business/30labor.html?ex=1280376000&en=6989a36df1bc4058&ei=5090&pa...

Lerner, M.: America s a Civilization New York: Simon & Schuster (1956)

Myamoto, C.: "Employee Relations: A Different Point Of View" Strategic Public Relations, Nov. 1997 www.geocities.com/WallStreet/8925/employee.htm

Yates, M. D. "Do Unions Still Matter?" MRZine Monthly Review Publications mrzine.monthlyrevieworganization/yates041105.html

No author listed: "Labor union" The Oxford American Dictionary of Current English. Oxford University Press, 1999. Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press. Los Angeles Public Library. 24 February 2007 an organized association of workers, often in a trade or profession, formed to protect and further their rights and interests.

an organized association of workers, often in a trade or profession, formed to protect and further their rights and interests.