Labor unions' relevance and future viability in modern workforce

¶ … Skills - Labor Unions

Labor Unions: The End, or Just the Beginning?

The history of labor unions has been a rollercoaster of alternating growth and decline. Commencing with reactions to the pre-union "Dark Ages" of Industrialization, unionization has enjoyed periods of enormous growth and suffered periods of devastating counteractions, marked by notable movements, strikes, and legislation. Currently undergoing a period of weakened influence, unions are now forced to face the challenges of a global economy, retaining current strengths and regaining vitality by addressing competing non-union and foreign influences in order to provide them with future success.

The basic point of a union is to ensure fair treatment for its members when it comes to their workplace conditions (Bell, 1999; Cook, 1992). Even though that is one of their more noble goals, unions have been literally plagued with all types of problems during their history, since not every person agrees with how they help members or what kinds of agendas they have. Some allegations that have been made against unions in the past involve backroom deals and coercion (Jacobs, 2006; Lichtenstein, 2002). Union members have, allegedly, threatened employers as well as non-union workers, because the union wanted things done a particular way. People who failed to do things the way the union wanted could find themselves in serious trouble. There are even rumors of connections to the mafia with unions throughout the United States, and difficult times were in store for people who decided to stand up to the unions and go against what those unions wanted (Bell, 1999; Jacobs, 2006; Zieger, 1994).

Fortunately for union and non-union individuals alike, those kinds of concerns - if they were ever legitimate concerns at all - are in the past. There are new challenges being faced by unions today, and these include the fact that unions are slowly disappearing (Sherk & Kersey, 2007). Even though some studies and other informational sources show that union membership has been climbing in some recent years, unions overall appear to be on the decline (Greenhouse, 2009). The question becomes whether unions are not relevant to society in this day and age, or whether the generations of people in the workforce today really do not understand how valuable unions are and the kinds of things unions provide. Since that question has value and importance, it will be the main, overarching question answered here. In addition, there are several compelling issues that have to be addressed, because unions have been through many changes and will likely go through many more in the future.

The one issue that is certain is that there are changes being seen where unions are concerned. Unions do not do things quite the same way they used to, and because of that the protections that they are offered are also not quite the same as they were in the past (Dine, 2007; Kearney, 2001). That is a very important concern for anyone who is part of a union or who is considering becoming part of a union. Unions were often joined in the past because people wanted protection. They were worried about labor practices that were unfair or even dangerous and illegal, and they felt that paying the dues for a union was well worth the protection they would be receiving for that money (Baldwin, 1983; Chan, 2011). Their wages and their jobs would be safe, and that level of security was a great reason to join a union.

It was worth the "price of admission" in the form of the union's dues. In the present day, union dues are still paid, but fewer people are agreeing with the agendas that are being created by some of these unions. People who do not agree with union agendas sometimes leave those unions, but they do not always have the choice. If the company is union, leaving the union may require leaving the company (Baldwin, 1983; Sherk & Kersey, 2007). Not everyone agrees with that, either, because it seems unfair to anyone who wants to be part of a particular company that he or she must also belong to a union.

The Decline in Labor Union Influence: Membership and Politics

In the past, there were strong ties between politics and unions (Filippelli, 1984; Haskins, 1976; Rozenweig & Brier, 1994). Unions had particular candidates they liked, and they would throw support behind those candidates. That often made a big difference in whether that candidate was elected, because unions had a lot of power. If they were able to provide a candidate with a boost, that candidate was very appreciative, and the people who belonged to and supported that union would vote for that candidate as a way to show strong support for that union. There were two opinions of this kind of activity. One was that it was a great way for unions to show support and get involved in the political arena. The other was that shady and underhanded backroom deals resulted in "bought" candidates that were not the most suitable for the political office but that were the candidates the union felt would do the most for that union if they were elected. Not all unions were focused on what they could get for themselves, of course. Some of them simply thought that a particular candidate was the best one for the job, and wanted to see that person elected (Tillman & Cummings, 1999; Zieger, 1994).

Fewer unions are involved in politics today (Sherk & Kersey, 2007). There are not that many candidates who talk openly about labor unions, although there are some that are mentioned. It is normally the autoworkers unions that are mentioned during political speeches, for a couple of reasons. Partially, they are mentioned because they are still involved in the political arena today. Additionally, they are mentioned because they are large unions that people will recognize, and many people may not realize that there are other unions of any kind even in existence today. There are many other types of unions, of course, but they are not very vocal when it comes to politics.

Having ties to unions can be difficult today, because some unions and some politicians do not offer what people are looking for. In other words, a union might get a bad reputation if it is tied to a politician, and a politician could get a bad reputation if he or she is tied to a union of which people do not approve. Since unions have seen some decline recently, it is really not surprising that politicians and unions are slowly starting to part company to some degree. It is one thing for a politician to mention labor unions, but it is another thing entirely for that politician to get into a discussion about specific labor unions. Each person will have his or her opinions about whether unions are good or bad, and about specific unions, but that does not mean that a politician should completely ignore the idea of unions that may want to back him or her. It is just important that both unions and politicians consider their associations very carefully to avoid any problems (Dubofsky, 1993; Kearney, 2001). Attachments of the past can be hard to break in the future in the minds of many people.

Around the time politicians had decided that they needed to move away from ties to labor unions, the unions were also beginning to see that they may want to move away from the candidates, as well (Tillman & Cummings, 1999; Zieger, 1994). Currently, unions do not support candidates to the degree they did in the past. The benefits that they used to get when they threw their support behind candidates have waned, and that has soured many unions on supporting a candidate strongly and vocally. In order to survive, especially in today's global world, unions need to have strong support. If unions continue to support others and they cannot receive support in return, they will remove their support. That only makes sense, and it is something that just about any individual or organization would do. People who are giving and not getting will eventually stop giving, in most cases, and the same is true for organizations such as labor unions and political campaigns.

Most companies give employees a choice in whether they want to join a union or they want to avoid it and stay non-union. In companies where there is an option, more employees are not joining unions (Dine, 2007). These individuals do not see the benefit of being part of a union, and the unions are not focused on the active recruiting that they used to do. When unions were in their heyday and enjoying a great degree of popularity, more people were interested in them and there was much more recruitment going on. At times, there is a concern that the union does not have the best interests of the employees at heart. For example, sometimes unions require companies to strike because they cannot reach an agreement, and not all employees want to strike. If they are forced to do so, they may feel that what the union is requiring of them is actually detrimental, instead of valuable.

Unions have some control over the working lives of their members - some unions more than others - and many employees do not want that to be the case, so they decide to take their chances and avoid joining the union (Bell, 1999; Tillman & Cummings, 1999; Zieger, 1994). People who belong to a union already are in two different camps. They either deeply support and talk about their union, or they simply tolerate their union because they know they need to stay with it. The people who are unhappy, though, are often becoming more vocal now than they had been before (Bell, 1999; Zieger, 1994). Every person who is part of a union will find that there are both good things and bad things about that particular union, but that does not necessarily mean that there is a complete balance between good and bad in any union.

At times, one side is much more significant than the other side. At that point, the individual usually has an easy decision as to whether he or she wants to belong to the union or would prefer to avoid it. If there are perceived injustices that are taking place within the union and not being addressed, for example, that could lead individuals to choose to avoid that union (Tillman & Cummings, 1999; Zieger, 1994).

Generations and Labor Union Influence

Labor unions were highly important during the time that many of the baby boomers of today were getting into the workforce. At that time, a majority of workers joined them and others made a big statement by deliberately avoiding joining them. The divide that was seen between the union and non-unions employees and employers were often stronger than expected and stronger than was needed (Kimeldorf, 1999). Despite that, the unions were thriving at that time. Since that time, many baby boomers have headed off to different companies and have changed jobs or even careers. Quite a few baby boomers have already retired, and many others are considering retiring within the next few years. Some have also passed away already, and the decline of the baby boomers throughout the workforce has also spelled the decline of many of the labor unions.

As the baby boomers aged, they began losing interest in unions and what those unions offered, because they started to see the decline of the unions throughout their working lives. In many cases, the unions did not provide employees with as much as they would have hoped (Dine, 2007; Kearney, 2001). When they had been let down by unions, they stopped passing on a love of unions to the children and grandchildren in their lives. These kids were those who were growing up in generation X and generation Y, and they did not know as much about labor unions as their parents and grandparents. To see whether these unions were highly valuable, they had to be taught by others who had been through the experience of unions, and because of the waning interest in unions, that teaching was not being provided in the same way it would have been to the baby boomers by their parents.

For those in generation X, unions were still relatively common (Hilton, n.d.). They were around, and people had heard of them. However, they avoided getting involved with unions to the extent that their grandparents and even their parents did. As they began to see unions decline, they saw that the heyday of those unions was disappearing, and the unions were not what they used to be. Unions were not doing as much for their members as they used to, and generation X did not want to be a part of that, because it seemed like the entire idea of unions was slowly coming apart - which was not beneficial (Dine, 2007). The people in generation Y are different, because most of them are too young to know much at all about unions, other than what they have been taught in their schooling (Deloitte, 2009). There was no exposure to a big "union family" like their grandparents and parents may have had, and that certainly affected how they felt about unions and whether they would actively seek them out (Dine, 2007).

Other Impacts on Labor Unions

The globalization of the workforce and all that the Internet has to offer have become very important in life. Most of the workers in the more developed countries use the Internet, and many of them are familiar with unions. Because of that, unions are much more likely to offer opportunities to more people across the country and around the world. This provides workers with opportunities, and it also provides unions with opportunities that they would not have had before the Internet age. These unions can truly go global, just as the workforce has gone global. If they decide to take that chance and move forward with it, there is the possibility that unions will be able to return to prosperity and perhaps even recapture where they were in there heyday, when they were important to the life of the worker and just about everyone know something about unions.

Unions that are in existence today have the opportunity to see growth and change, but only if they take their chances and do something with them. Otherwise, they will just continue to stagnate no matter what the workforce is doing from a global perspective. Unions must work on how they can go global and what they will be able to offer to both current and future members, or they are not going to be able to harness the power of the Internet and they will not get far in their dealings with other unions, employers, and employees that they may be attempting to recruit and assist. When unions understand that the Internet is a highly valuable tool for getting a message out to people, they can use that to build the ranks (Dine, 2007). However, they still have to make sure that the members they already have are happy and they are providing value to those members.

That is true for members anywhere in the world, if the union decides to go global. If unions are not doing that appropriately, using the Internet is not going to do anything to help them, since presenting the message is important but what that message actually is often much more significant. Providing information around the world is highly common on the Internet, so there is absolutely no reason why a union cannot use it as a way to provide information. Unions can address what they do, how they work, and the kinds of benefits that will be provided to members. If they use the Internet correctly, there may be the chance of starting up a revival of labor unions throughout the country and even around the world. Unions have not seen strong influence in years, so they will have to work in order to get that influence back again - but it is not yet out of reach (Sherk & Kersey, 2007). If the right messages are crafted and those messages are sent to the right people in the correct way, unions can become strong again through the power of globalization and the Internet.

Providing Future Value

If they focus on the Internet and the idea of globalization, unions will be able to become more active again, and they should be able to stay that way (International, 2005; Sherk & Kersey, 2007). Additionally, though, unions that want to provide value in the future should be active in the community in which they are located (Chan, 2011; Rozenweig & Brier, 1994; Sherk & Kersey, 2007). That way they have the opportunity to build strength in that community and in the global sphere, as well. Being global and local at the same time can help unions be perceived differently, but it will not necessarily work for each and every union all the time. They need opportunities to determine the best way to proceed, so that they can be active throughout their future as well as in the current climate. There are many very active unions, and other unions that are not as active but would like to be if they had the opportunity. Using the Internet is one of the best ways to get a message out today.

Many older unions have membership that is declining, but it is entirely possible that those unions can grow once again and re-develop what they offer to their members. That can help keep current members, but it can also provide incentive for new members to join. If unions are to stay viable and active, they have to be willing to change. The times are changing, and individuals and companies all have to change with them or they will be left behind. Unions that have had trouble in the recent past have often struggled because they failed to change and did not adapt to what the union members wanted. Now, there is a new chance to change and grow, which would allow unions to do much more with what they already have than what they had been able to do in the past. Generally, that is important to the unions themselves and also important to the members of that union.

Now that this is the Internet age, the viability of unions and how they can convey that in such a way as to recruit members are becoming even more important. When viability is considered more closely, that will help both the members and the unions. In some areas of the country and in a few areas of the world, there are strong, viable unions whose value and membership have not really declined over time. Still, in other areas unions have lost much of their footing. Using the Internet to regain that footing is something worth doing, but unions cannot assume they can do that quickly. Anything of that nature takes time, because it is just like building a business or a relationship. Unions that remain focused on that growth and development have a higher chance of seeing success over time, and that can allow them to do more for their members.

Conclusion

Overall, unions had a deep significance in the working life of Americans for some time, but that popularity did not last as society changed and the unions failed to keep up with those changes. Still, these unions have a large chance to become popular and valuable again in the future. Right now, they do not offer as much to members as they used to, and they offer nowhere near what they could be offering. In the future, that may change. One of the ways in which that could be changed most easily would be through the use of the Internet. Unions that want to remain relevant, or unions that have lost relevance and would like to once again become relevant, can do that. They need to consider the true needs and desires of the workers they represent, and focus on providing for those. If they cannot provide all of them, then determining which ones are most important and providing for those is one of the best ways for unions to continue on a path back to success.

Unions will need to actually make themselves relevant once again. In order for that to take place, they will have to consider the workers but also consider the employees. In the past, unions had trouble because they continually clashed with employers over working hours, working conditions, pay, and other factors. It is important that unions continue to speak up for the worker, but they can also be more realistic in their negotiations with employers. By striking more of a balance between employee and employer, unions can provide more relevance to the overall workforce, and that will allow them to regain relevance that is appropriate for today's culture. Unions that are able to reclaim their place in the workforce of today will be strategically placed to continue holding onto that position into the future.

Labor unions endured periods of enormous growth and decline from the mid-19th Century to and including the 21st Century. The forces of the global economy have gradually become so influential that unions, which traditionally operated according to local rather than global conditions, must now think globally and adjust their demands in order to survive and address the issues of global workers' rights and economic disadvantage. Furthermore, these unions must account for the anticipated needs of computer-savvy baby boomers; Generation X's tendency toward cynicism and pragmatism, ferocious independence and perceived lack of loyalty; and generation Y's increasingly powerful and demanding presence in the market. Only by realistically addressing these worldwide issues can unions remain viable and vital in the future, and they must use the Internet to get their message out to the masses. If they fail in their message, however, the medium they use to release that message to the world will become a moot point.