Several factors contributed to private sector union decline and public sector union growth.
Labor unions in the United Stated began forming in the 1800s and since then they have gone through diverse working environments which at some stages increased or decreased their union membership. In the private sector the huge impact that led to the decline of union membership was largely felt when Congress passed the Taft-Hartley of Labor Management Relations Act of 1947. The public sector union membership started growing in the 1960s and 1970s, when the baby boomers entered the workforce.
The Taft-Hartley Act of 1947 prohibited closed shops, it gave states the right to outlaw closed and union shops by passing right to work laws, and banned supervisors and foremen from joining a union. During strikes, it allowed that employers may permanently replace union workers. This law was enacted after the employers complained about union abuses. President Truman to that Act as the “slave-labor bill” because it was passed over his veto. This Act law heavily affected the union membership as its purpose was to weaken the power of unions after the employers launched their complaints. Indeed, Congress (Republican majority) succeeded in breaking that unity and strength the unions had. Another major blow was felt in the 1980s during the deindustrialization. The shift from manufacturing sector to service sector negatively impacted union membership. Many unionized workers lost their jobs in the manufacturing sector. Some laid-off workers found jobs in the service sector and these were low-wage, part-time and non-union jobs. White-collar and pink-collar services (such as information technology, insurance, health care, banking and finance) workers had different needs from the workers of the past. The deep recession in the early 1980s during President Reagan’s administration led to the loss of many jobs in the manufacturing industry. President Reagan himself did not approve labor unions. In 1981 he fired and replaced over 11,000 striking members of the Professional Air Traffic Controller Organizations (PATCO). The conflict between unions and the Republican Party has a long history. Postal workers and their organizations can tell stories about the President Theodore Roosevelt (Republican) with his gag rule of 1902 which did not allow federal employees from seeking congressional legislation through their organizations. It was the Republican majority in Congress when the Taft-Hartley Act of 1947 was enacted. The Reagan-appointed chair of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) succeeded to weaken labor unions because he was less responsive to union grievances but pro-business (McQuariie, 2015). Here are politicians who have been elected by people who want better services and enact laws that protect their rights both at home and at work, but Congress enacted laws that favored a certain group (employers) over the majority (workers) just because employers financed their political campaigns. This further increased mistrust between workers and elected officials/politicians because workers were expecting laws that protect them against unconducive working conditions, racial discrimination at work, and miserable wages. Furthermore, employers also contributed to decline of union memberships as they realized they had the backup from the Republican presidents. So employers hired attorneys and labor consultants commonly known as union-busters in an effort to defeat organizing drives and to decertify unions. These consultants helped employers create a union-free workplace. The tactics they applied were sometimes illegal, but nobody cared as the National Labor Relation Board (NLRB) which was meant to monitor the relations and actions of both employers and unions was pro-businesses (employers). So, the NLRB could reprimand employers for mistreating workers are refusing …show more content…
The employers, some Republican Party leaders and Congress through its passage of some Acts contributed to these unions’ decline because they did not appreciate collective bargaining. Powerful unions threatened employers because they will demand high salaries, conducive working conditions and racial discriminations at work. Republicans helped employers to suppress unions and discourage new employees from joining unions. Surprisingly, when unions decline in the private sectors, union memberships increased in the public sector. Several factors influenced this growth. Will public sector unions maintain this growth in the near future? Will the decline in union membership be reversed in the private
Labor unions in the United Stated began forming in the 1800s and since then they have gone through diverse working environments which at some stages increased or decreased their union membership. In the private sector the huge impact that led to the decline of union membership was largely felt when Congress passed the Taft-Hartley of Labor Management Relations Act of 1947. The public sector union membership started growing in the 1960s and 1970s, when the baby boomers entered the workforce.
The Taft-Hartley Act of 1947 prohibited closed shops, it gave states the right to outlaw closed and union shops by passing right to work laws, and banned supervisors and foremen from joining a union. During strikes, it allowed that employers may permanently replace union workers. This law was enacted after the employers complained about union abuses. President Truman to that Act as the “slave-labor bill” because it was passed over his veto. This Act law heavily affected the union membership as its purpose was to weaken the power of unions after the employers launched their complaints. Indeed, Congress (Republican majority) succeeded in breaking that unity and strength the unions had. Another major blow was felt in the 1980s during the deindustrialization. The shift from manufacturing sector to service sector negatively impacted union membership. Many unionized workers lost their jobs in the manufacturing sector. Some laid-off workers found jobs in the service sector and these were low-wage, part-time and non-union jobs. White-collar and pink-collar services (such as information technology, insurance, health care, banking and finance) workers had different needs from the workers of the past. The deep recession in the early 1980s during President Reagan’s administration led to the loss of many jobs in the manufacturing industry. President Reagan himself did not approve labor unions. In 1981 he fired and replaced over 11,000 striking members of the Professional Air Traffic Controller Organizations (PATCO). The conflict between unions and the Republican Party has a long history. Postal workers and their organizations can tell stories about the President Theodore Roosevelt (Republican) with his gag rule of 1902 which did not allow federal employees from seeking congressional legislation through their organizations. It was the Republican majority in Congress when the Taft-Hartley Act of 1947 was enacted. The Reagan-appointed chair of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) succeeded to weaken labor unions because he was less responsive to union grievances but pro-business (McQuariie, 2015). Here are politicians who have been elected by people who want better services and enact laws that protect their rights both at home and at work, but Congress enacted laws that favored a certain group (employers) over the majority (workers) just because employers financed their political campaigns. This further increased mistrust between workers and elected officials/politicians because workers were expecting laws that protect them against unconducive working conditions, racial discrimination at work, and miserable wages. Furthermore, employers also contributed to decline of union memberships as they realized they had the backup from the Republican presidents. So employers hired attorneys and labor consultants commonly known as union-busters in an effort to defeat organizing drives and to decertify unions. These consultants helped employers create a union-free workplace. The tactics they applied were sometimes illegal, but nobody cared as the National Labor Relation Board (NLRB) which was meant to monitor the relations and actions of both employers and unions was pro-businesses (employers). So, the NLRB could reprimand employers for mistreating workers are refusing …show more content…
The employers, some Republican Party leaders and Congress through its passage of some Acts contributed to these unions’ decline because they did not appreciate collective bargaining. Powerful unions threatened employers because they will demand high salaries, conducive working conditions and racial discriminations at work. Republicans helped employers to suppress unions and discourage new employees from joining unions. Surprisingly, when unions decline in the private sectors, union memberships increased in the public sector. Several factors influenced this growth. Will public sector unions maintain this growth in the near future? Will the decline in union membership be reversed in the private