IMPORTANCE OF UNIONS IN THE WORK PLACE, U.S.A.

A union is basically a body that represents a mass group with common interests. Today, unions may not seem to as vocal and active like in the past because of new and improved labor legislation that are in place. Most common forms of unions in the U.S.A are trade unions, labor unions and student unions. Unions are viewed as the voice of all the individuals in the group and as such play the following roles;
First, unions in the work place play a major role in the securing of legislated labor rights and protections such as job safety conditions, health, insurance policies and pension programs.  Belman, Dale and Richard Block reported in 2002 reported that due to collective bargaining and organizational performance, works can be able to achieve the best working conditions in their work places. Due to size of many companies, following up and ensuring smooth operation of all these regulations can prove quite a task for individual workers. A union may “employ” a task force whose sole purpose is to ensure that there is adherence to law in place.

Mishel and Lawrence R  on the other hand  studied in 1982 the structure and nature of the bargaining power the unions have in determining how much influence they have over workers wages. Worker’s unions in the work place prove to be an essential tool in impacting the wage rates for all workers. Due to the strength in numbers theory, unions are seen to have the backing of all the employees and thus may be able to grind out the best pay packages for all workers. In as much as unions generally work for the improving of wages for the union members, there are usually knock-on effects that can be felt by the non-unionized members in terms of their wage increases.

            In their study, Lewis and H. Gregg reported in 1986 on the relativity of the wages of the works subject to the level of output in the presence or absence of unions. Unions help in ensuring equity within the job market. This is done through the reduction of wage inequality in the work place. The gap between the blue collar and white collar jobs can substantially be reduced since the unions essentially represent both groups of employees. Maximizing the welfare of each set of employees ensures that a middle ground/ compromise has to taken by either group to ensure equity in terms of wages.

Unions can be taken as social tools for airing of employee grievances through a single recognizable body making the whole process run more smoothly eradicating any glitches that may exist when an individual tries to do so themselves. Unions play a major role in the effective communication between the employer and the employee. Also, unions allow for “hiding” of employees under an umbrella when airing grievances. Since the unions represent the masses it would be assumed that the grievances aired affect the whole group and thus no punitive actions can be taken by the management.

Fifth, unions participate in the mobilization the general population irrespective of their ethnic, religious, racial and even social background. As a consequence, unions foster a sense of belonging and togetherness thus eliminating any biases that may exist between different sets of individuals in the whole group.

In colleges, student unions help in molding the student in the right direction as pertains to leadership and organization skills. Most of the student leaders in the unions ultimately end up being the future leaders in the country. In this way, unions prove to be carrier builders for the youth in the institutions. Also, organizational skills acquired in taking part in union activities enables the student to understand the of mass action in resolving conflicts rather than engaging in violent forms of expressing himself/ herself.

Finally, unions do play a major educational to its members by providing materials and organizing seminars that sensitize the members general terms of work as well as legislative law in place. A better informed worker functions better in carrying out his/her duties thus ensuring effectiveness in the production process.

References.

Belman, Dale. Unions. Quality of Labor Relations, and Firm Performance. Ed. Lawrence Mishel and Paula B. Voos, Unions and Economic Competitiveness. New York: Economic Policy Institute, 1992. 41-107.

Belman, Dale and Richard Block. Collective Bargaining and Organizational Performance. Ed. Richard N. Block. Collective Bargaining, Firm Competitiveness, and Employment in the United States. Kalamazoo, Mich.: W. E: Upjohn Institute for Employment Research, 2002.

Doucauliagos, Hristos and Patrice Laroche. What Do Unions Do To Productivity? A Meta-Analysis. Unpublished, 2003.

Gottesman, Michael H. Whither Goest Labor Law: Law and Economics in the Workplace. Ed. Samuel Estreicher and Stewart J. Schwab. Foundations of Labor and Employment Law. New York: Foundation Press, 2000. 128-130.