If a union thinks an employer has violated the CBA, the union can file a complaint, which may be in the end resolved through a process known as arbitration. Union members pay dues that are used to cover the union's costs. Most union's employee full-time staff that is responsible for running its operations. Even though the staff is paid by union dues, members occasionally volunteer within the union. Some unions also form strikes funds that are used to support workers in the event of a strike. A union works rather like a democracy. Unions hold elections in order to determine officers who will then make decisions and represent the members of the union (Silverman, 2010).
The United Auto Workers has recently organized several auto parts plants, including a 220-worker Dana auto parts plant in Virginia and a 1,200-worker Thomas Built bus plant in North Carolina. Even though none of those successes have proved big enough to reverse the union's slide, there is progress being made. The U.A.W.'s membership seems preordained to decline unless they make a breakthrough at the transplants. That is very difficult because the transplants supply union wages and benefits. They are located in areas that are not union friendly and often use Japanese culture that gives workers a small amount of voice and feelings of belonging. They are very hard to break. Professional and technical workers are thought to be even harder to organize. In spite of years of trying, unions have failed to break even one Silicon Valley Company. Unions have to become accustomed to the changing economy in order to be successful. Experts believe that a new model needs to be developed that provides these workers with a chance to take their benefits with them and provides them with a voice that may be external of collective bargaining (Splintered, but Unbowed, Are Unions Still Relevant, 2005).
One model that is being looked at is that of the Communication Workers of America. This model is succeeding with a number of innovative approaches. At I.B.M., for example, 3,000 employees have joined a union-sponsored group, Alliance at I.B.M., that provides an advocacy forum for workers on pensions, career and...
The communications' workers, after persuading Cingular Wireless not to oppose unionization efforts, have organized 22,000 Cingular workers. While the union anticipates adding new at&T members since Cingular has acquired at&T Wireless, it is seeing very little progress with Verizon Wireless, which is forcefully combating unionization. When you take away the terror, workers are eager to sign up. Unfortunately not many unions are organizing so forcefully. A decade ago, the a.F.L.-C.I.O. urged unions to spend at least 30% of their budget on organizing (Splintered, but Unbowed, Are Unions Still Relevant, 2005).
While labor unions are not as well-known today as they once were, they still play a vital role in defending and representing the American workforce. Sweatshop circumstances that were once thought be banished from the U.S., have been seen more and more in recent years. Poor immigrant workers have been regular victims of sweatshops. So unions, labor groups and social activists have reacted by rallying awareness campaigns, lobbying the government for action and talking to clothing companies about whom they contract with. In addition to checking on and reporting unfair working conditions, unions are also important in permitting employees to effectively negotiate for their wages and to offer a support system for employees (Silverman, 2010).
References
Reynolds, Morgan O. (2008). Labor Unions. Retrieved May 13, 2010, from Library of Economics and Liberty, Web site: http://www.econlib.org/library/Enc/LaborUnions.html
Silverman, Jacob. (2010). How Labor Unions Work. Retrieved May 14, 2010, from How Stuff
Works Web site: http://money.howstuffworks.com/labor-union5.htm
Splintered, but Unbowed, Are Unions Still Relevant? (2005). Retrieved May 13, 2010, from NY
Times Web site:
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/30/business/30labor.html?pagewanted=2
The Law, Employee Rights and How they affect Workers Right. (2006). Retrieved May 14, 2010,
from Labor Union Resources Web site:
http://laborunionresources.org/ORGANIZING.html
