Labor unions

The National Labor Relations Act of 1935 or Wagner act was introduced with the intention to protect the rights of the workers. During this time there were many instances of the harassment of the laborers by the employers. This act ensured the right of the employees to collective bargaining which was necessary for the laborers to bargain with the employers for their rights. In order to enforce this act National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) was created and it was given wide powers to determine the relationship between the employer and the employee. In the light of the fact that the employers were adopting various anti worker policies, this act was successful in protecting the interest of the workers.(Bain, n.d.) This is the main reason for its popularity among the workers who were allowed the right to unionize. The NLRB can be approached by the labor unions with the request to arrange for the secret ballots while forming the labor union. This act gives the laborers the right to bargain with the employers, fight against injustice through strike and lock out.(Bain, n.d.) The employees are also given the option not to indulge in unionization activities. Before forming the unions the NLRB is supposed to be convinced with the fact that a particular labor union would represent the interest of all the employees. The labor union should represent the interest of the laborers who share similar problems and interest. By conducting the operations to establish their own unions, the NLRB was expected to safeguard the interest of the workers.(Bain, n.d.) The employers are also expected to follow the labor law which is controlled by the federal and the state governments. The employees can approach NLRB whenever they find that there are unfair labor practices. Both the employees and employers are not supposed to indulge in unfair labor practices. The employers are expected not to discriminate against the union members while recruiting them and while continuing their service. More often it is found that the management used to hire the workers who were not the members of the labor unions or who did not agree with the ideology of the unions. (Bain, n.d.) When such unfair labor practices occur, the labor unions can approach the NLRB which uses its power to investigate into the allegations of exploitation of the laborers by the employers. The main duty of the NLRB is to maintain the cordial relationship between the workers and the employers. Through this particular act the government attempted to avoid the exploitation of the workers. These sections of the Wagner act satisfied the demands of the workers and naturally they favored this act. NLRB has handled thousands of cases concerning unfair labor practices. These cases show that the Wagner act has succeeded in protecting the interest of the workers. The workers have been able to unionize or not to unionize and they are given the power to go on strikes. Legitimate strikes are supported by the NLRB leading to the protection of the rights of the workers. (Bain, n.d.) Another important labor and management relations act was Taft-Hartley act which was introduced in the year 1947. The anti labor provisions in this act evoked immediate reaction by the labor unions which, obviously, did not like the anti labor clauses in this act. The Taft-Hartley act has many clauses which protect the interest of the employers. The various rights sanctioned by the Wagner act are withdrawn by the Taft-Hartley act. This act restricted the labor union activities such as strikes, picketing, lock out, secondary boycotts and closed shops. The state can prohibit a strike which affected the public health and national security. Using these clauses jurisdictional injunctions could be obtained prohibiting such activities of the labor unions. The states could invoke right-to-work laws which allowed the union members not to participate in the strike.(Wikipedia, 2006) This act also discontinued the closed shops practice which had compelled the employers to provide job security to members of the unions. The power of the laborers to enforce union security clauses have been restricted by this act. The courts are given the power to investigate the financial statements of the unions in order to ensure that all the laborers are provided representation by the unions. The states could approach the courts and obtain injunctions which restricted the rights of the workers to go on strike. Instead of strike, the act encourages the use of other means to bargain with the employers. The workers are required to give 60 days notice to the employers and the mediating agency regarding their activities. The employers can approach the authorities to restrict the activities of the labor unions. The employees also can approach the authorities requesting that they should be allowed to work against the orders of the union. Many states have used these jurisdictional injunctions to restrict the labor union activities. This law has been criticized by the laborers as anti labor. This act also gives the discretionary powers to the President to outlaw a particular strike or lock out declared by the labor unions. These powers have been used by the American presidents to control the labor unions. The unions are also expected to declare that they are not the members of the communist party. The unions are not allowed to give monetary donations to political campaigns and such other political activities. Due to these anti labor clauses, the laborers did not favor this law. (Wikipedia, 2006) The above details show that the laborers liked the provisions of the Wagner act of 1935 while they opposed the provisions of the Taft-Hartley act. Bibliography Bain, Brian. (n.d.). The NLRB: The Wagner Act of 1935. St.francis.edu. Retrieved 17 March 2006 from (2006). Taft-Hartley Act. Wikipedia the free encyclopedia. Retrieved 17 March 2006 from    Labor Unions Labor Union functions as representative of workers in various industries. The roots of labor union are linked to the early history of America in 17th century. The early unions consisted of guilds and carpenters, who even played an important in struggle of independence. By 1820s various unions worked to reduce working hours from 12 to 10 hours.   Labor unions have been set as reaction to protect workers from employers. The need rose due to the arrival of industrialization that developed factory system creating misery and slum among the poor workers. Factories produced massive wealth for few and great misery for many. The workers recognised their power and organised themselves in the shape of unions. Their power grew steadily in the mid 19th century where various trade unions joined together in citywide federation forming National Labor Union (NLU) in 1866. It was due to the persuasion of NLU that congress passed eight-hour working day for in 1873. Labor Union is other countries; such as Belgium, Sweden Finland have centralized unions, where all industries have a specific union and then merge into a large national confederation. Finland is one of the largest labor union in Europe with about 1.2 million members out of 5 million-country populations. There are countries like France where only 10 percent worker form the par of unions. Most of which are normally represented by in main confederation. The Australia Labor movement is historically connected with craft and trade.   Australian current government brought many changes in recent times through Workplace Act 1996 (Fraser, 1974). In 20th century American Labor Union remained important in organisation often revolving around issues such as immigrant rights, trade policy, healthcare, wage campaigns. The post World War I brought wages down and caused major erosion in union membership between 1920 and 1930. National Association of Manufactures played on the fear of Bolsheviks and declared by President John Kirby as â€Å"un-American and illegal†.   And in the following years the demands; such as shorter hours, higher wages, regulation of child labor were seen as anti-American and going towards communism. The employers exploited this situation on the pretext of patriotism and workers had to sign â€Å"yellow dog contract† where a worker had to sign in order to get job with a declaration not to join a union (Card and Alan, 1995). In 1935 John Lewis accounted the creation of CIO (Committee for Industrial Organization), which composed of about a dozen leaders of AFL unions carrying out the efforts of industrial unionism. The Industrial Unions basically organized all kind workers and in short they were the unions of unskilled workers.   CIO did successful campaigns over the next few years and brought the industrial unions to larger sectors of American industry gaining substantial membership. During the World War II CIO worked on the workers problems. In 1955, CIO and AFL merged together and helped in eliminating jurisdictional disputed which labor unions were facing for decades. Instead now unions placed new emphasis on organizing workers in various industries and plants where labor representation did not exist. And in many cases these unions had to cross the barriers of older way of thinking to reach the employees who for decades resisted unions. The labor movement has enormous impact to bring an end to child labor practices, improved conditions and wages for both union and no union workers raising the standard for the whole society. It also supported better education for the workers children enabling the working class to get rid of poverty. And it even brought rights for women for example on average women in UK are still earning lesser than men; but the women who have union membership earn more than non-members women. However this policy seems to work only in developed countries where there are regulations. In countries such as China where workers have lesser freedom do not have the same rights as workers in developed countries (Card and Alan, 1995). Today’s management theories are dealing with, hegemonic and acceptable ways in which communications is used for many tasks inside organization, and also how life in organization affect its workers. Modern organizations are diverse in nature and the working environment is changed. Managers are now facing new problems, such as diversity in workplace, extensive use of technology and stress in workplace (Orakzai, 2006). In modern times Human Resources has emerged as an important part of organization which is   meant to develop and create superior man power for organization The reason for such approach is that superior human resources are hard to replicate and companies like Wal-Mart, Southwest Airlines have invested and nurtured human resources (Satish and David, 1998). Even though there are no unions but HRM practices are applied to develop competitive advantage in recruitment, training, performances and worker empowerment. For firms now there are new challenges such as managing diversity and transformation due to technological change (Nancy and Orlando, 2001). Since 1980s, there seems to have been great shift in power of unions. Before 1980s the labor management was mainly dependent on soft strategy of negotiation in order to settle down the disputes. In the case of disputes firms often used managers to sort out the problem or opted for temporary workers to replace the workers on strike.   Since 1980 there has been hard strategy used by companies such as threat of employment and joblessness that means permanent replacement of workers to prevent strikes (Thomas, 1997). There have been several reasons for such decline; one major reason is employers who keep their business union free. Some of the companies even hired consultants and resorted to legal strategies; while others put workers in management team by appointing them board of director and profit sharing plan. Another reason has been greater number of women and children joining workforce, whose income is as a second income for the family. Most of them are interested in earning money even if it meant lower wages rather than resisting. And the last reasons is union too much success. For many years unions have been fighting for higher wages; which has raised a lot. This success made many unions made products too expensive to be bought by consumers; who prefer cheaper imported foreign products. This trend has raised losses in many industries including many workers losing their jobs leading to decline in power of unions.   And the last reason is the use of technology in workplaces, which require fewer workers to do a lot of work. The traditional reliance on industrial jobs has been lost which used to be stronghold of the white-collar class; all these factors have lead to decline of union in modern organization. Reference: Thomas L Traynor, , (1997).Impact of post-PATCO labor relations on U.S. union wages. The Eastern Economic Journal. Satish P. Deshpande, David J. Flanagan, (1996).Top Management's Perceptions of Changes in HRM . Journal of Small Business Management. Nancy Brown Johnson, Orlando C. Richard, (2001).Understanding the Impact of Human Resource Diversity Practices on Firm Performance . Journal of Managerial Issues. Fraser, W. Hamish , (1974). Trade Unions and Society. Rowman and Little field. Card David, Krueger Alan, (1995). Myth and measurement: The new economics of the minimum wage. Princeton University Press. Orakzai, Tanvir , (July 3, 2006). Organization communication: an analysis. Retrieved July 10, 2006, Web site: http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/viewArticle.asp?articleID=11130. Labor Unions The effects of the political nature in Canada has been subject to the influence by the workers through their striking activity. The workers who are the voters have seldom used strikes to change the political system. By its definition, a labor union is an association of persons within a common working outlay which seeks in providing spokesman ship to the members. Legally, labor unions in Canada are duly under recognition as representations of the broad workers from the different industries within Canada. Labor unions in Canada run from public and also private unions.To the Democratic Party in U.S, the activity of labor Unions is an important goal with strict political develop to look after the interest of the workers. (Mirillo, 2001, 54). The purpose of labor unions as per the Democratic Party is to provide a collective bargaining capacity to the workers through the influence of workers mobilization in regard to their individual membership as well as through aspect of collateral coali tions of activist under like-mindedness. (Mirillo, 2001, 67)However, the current political imagery in this state and especially in its two rich provinces Ontario and Alberta has seen the interest of trade unions falling and loosing motivations.   In its private sectors, union membership has been seen to fall by 9%, which is a brutal change since 1932. ((Mirillo, 2001, 72). The conventional purpose of labor unions in Canada has been in the advocating of policies and also legislative authorities which are otherwise favorable to their workers. Through a strong bound by such workers, their active role in policies would seldom be activated.Many of the workers have lost their interest in joining such unions from the effect of the advisory and pronouncements by the political systems which have even led to change by the labor unions. The roles and activities of labor unions in Canada has been a major tool in shaping the political structure of this American State. However, such changes as a result of influence by the political image have never been to the positive side.These are tools that seek to provide workers’ disadvantages in terms of poor and unfriendly working conditions, low levels of wage rates above other fundamental effects on the workers at their work. Various political images such as the prevention of companies for non-union in taking various significant in the Canadian market share is a trend towards loss in the rights of such unions. At the political conquest, labor unions are important tools in policies which is basically achieved through members mobilization as well as general coalitions with organizations of such like mindedness.The American labor unions are absorbed in two basic organizations; The America Federation of Labor Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) as well as Congress of Industrial Organizations. The basic role of these two organizations is in advocating legislations and also policies that provide worker motivation. (M irillo, 2001, 72)The changing political dimension and legal framework of the labor unions have seen their membership continue to decline since 1983. Through exorbitant mobilization of trade unions by workers in Ontario and Alberta, the political imagery has been shaped in its focus. Due to the breach of the fundamental conceptions and rights at their work, various jurisdictional strikes have however been seen in Canada. In Canada, the use of jurisdiction is an important phenomenon as a claim of representation for workers in performance of specific works.This is an attribute in relation to their personal right for such work performance of the members within a certain trade /labor union. Worker strikes have recently increased in the state which are basically concerted refusals in the performance of specific work by the members of a certain labor union. This is a disputation to the job assigned to them which occurs as protest to such assignments and develop as disputes in correspondenc e to the terms and conditions of their employment contracts. (Jessica, Samuel, 2006, 1)However, the question of the fundamentality in labor strikes remains debatable of whether good or bad. However, depending on the nature of their results and the effects to the broad organizations impact and the society, different labor strikes in the Ontario and also Alberta can be supported or not.At personal level, such strikes act as hinge parameters with which their responses can adequately be looked upon to provide a more concentrated satisfaction at their work places.   Generally, the various poor conditions at work are in response to the fundamental influence of the political imagery which have changed the system labor laws and provided a scope for less effective labor instruments at work. In Canada generally, a broad political imagery have acted to shape the manner in which the basics of labor laws have been formulated.Labor strikes therefore act as the most appropriate tools with which the collective bargaining powers of their unions can move adequately to be featured by their employers and the government legal framework. Corresponding perhaps to Ontario and Alberta which happens to be the two richest provinces in Canada, many union strikes have been felt across the board as workers seek to fight for more dispensable adequate working conditions. The mobilization efforts by striking works have acted adequately in shaping the nature of the political structure in the state. (Stanely, 1999, 11)  Preferentially, labor union strike in Canada has been a defense mechanism in support for the complimentary provision of the basic condition while at work. In the event of the compromise to these provisions at work, the workers should have a full pledge of legal authority which provides them due rights in their striking autonomy. The basic intention of their formation at personal capacities in work is bargaining collectively. Though the federal legal autonomy provides for suc h representation, the current political system in Ontario and Alberta seeks to compromise the holistic development into their contemporaries.Such strikes are basic tools with which the roles and provisions of such workers at their workplaces can be provided for adequately. The main objective of the labor strikes is to seek provision for adequate standards in their labor force at work which may have been compromised by the nature of changing political ideologies to provide inadequate employment jurisdiction. However, through their collective bargaining by striking, the political system through its by-laws on labor has adequately been changed to focus more on a better political weapon which addresses their requirements.Generally, the role of labor strikes is to promote a leeway in safeguarding the interest of the workers which may have been breached in the due process of change in the labor laws by the Federal system. According to the recent research by the Canadian Bureau of Statisti cs, the legal framework has had various developments that seek to monitor the changes and the response to the employee and labor relations providing the various legal foundations.Among such developments have been the results achieved through striking workers. (Michael, 2003, 32) However, according to researches by various human activists movements on labor laws, such legal developments have only acted to provide disadvantages to the workers at their places of work. Consequently, such disadvantages have acted to lower the standards of living for such workers above providing various poor working conditions and terms of the workers at their places of work. (Michael, 2003, 5)Despite the great wealth in the two provinces whose development is from the human capital provided by the workers, the workers continue to be faced with inadequate conditions at work which compromise their status of living. Such poor conditions of work have been adequately brutal both to their physical health and al so their status of living. In response to this, the argument behind the workers union in the regions is argumentable in a supportive periphery. Either, the right to strike should be provided with the due protection by the federal legal system. (Stanely, 1999, 9)Therefore labor strikes have been seen as the basic and fundamental tool with which such workers representatives can strive for a restoration in the adequate terms and conditions at their work place. This is through creating an advocacy in the political will to accommodate better laws on labor. The same has been evident through new developments in political imagery in Canada which safeguards the interest of the workers. The concept of workers strike is allied to the rights to strike. (David, 1997, 3)These are the basic legal foundations and framework that provide the most adequate provision within which such workers should strike. Such rights to strike imply the autonomy with which the unions should exercise their powers in c rave for jurisdictional authorities. They are aimed at providing a coherent foundation in ensuring that the legal development from the statutory Canadian laws does not seek to provide disadvantages.Unions rights to strike is otherwise the mobilization framework bestowed to the unions to participate in the request of adequacy in conditions of work and also terms through partial withdrawal from the work without any threats and fear of any form of intimidation either from the employers or the Canadian legal framework. In the lieu of erosion of the workers sovereignty, the coherent legal framework through the political capacity should perhaps help to provide a stronger dimension within which the states of the labor rights at work and to strike should be restored. (David, 1997, 1)By their nature, labor unions are established as representations of their workers in an organization. Through their collective bargaining, they help to develop the collective strength in the workers which would partially be powerless at individual capacity. Due to the political changes and orientations, labor laws have been changed to provide comparative disadvantages of the workers at their working levels. Due to the fundamentality of the respective reasons behind union strikes by the workers, the right to strikes should be adequately supported. Such rights provide a legal foundation and a basic of support with which the striking activity is formalized without any fear of negative implication of the job loss and accusations by the legal framework. (David, 1997, 1)Basically, strikes involve stoppages of coming to their working places by the workers. Through their mobilization efforts in Ontario and Alberta, the nature of the labor laws have been changed to provide adequate legal articles for the workers. The political shape has also been depended on the effects of various labor strikes since 1980. (Joseph, 1995, 3)Through workers strikes, the organizations are provided with comparative dis advantages in the market through the high loss implications which they undergo from the loss in activity by their organizations. However, the legal foundation of the strike is that it serves as an appropriate weapon with which the adequate working conditions for the workers can be provided. Such strikes are mere protests against the controversial conditions of work by their employees.This has been seen as a creative developed in Canada following labor strikes. Elsewhere, labor strike is a formal impact in which the worker unanimously seek to pledge the reinstatement in the breach of contract between them and their employers. Due to the formality of such strikes, their impact and influence should therefore be safeguarded by the interest of well defined rights that seek to create the most appropriate conditions and standards of their striking workers.However, the historical development of labor strikes in long trailing and its impulse increasingly developing in the recent years. Gener ally however, great logical response allied to the factor of humanity should support such strikes. Since the main role of labor unions is to provide a bargaining power in the adequacy of their conditions at work, the role of union’s strikes is an important complement in defining the scope of their success in such favorable working conditions.In the America since 1930’s, the political system have stood to create various labor laws that provide disadvantages to the workers in terms of conditions and wages at work. (Daniel, 1998, 43). Such labor laws have worked to weaken the strength and force of the labor unions. To the workers, the same has been seen as a betrayal by the government laws. However, through various labor strikes in Canada, such has been changed.This has been  Ã‚   a big threat towards employees derecognition by the employers in terms of the preferential basics in employment contracts. The epochs to such erosion on the employee sovereignty at work is thr ough the provision of various rights of negotiation by the workers for their support in the most adequate working conditions. The capacity to undergo strike is a fundamental interception in providing a tool for the support in recognition of the basic sediments of providing compliance to their working conditions by their employers. (Daniel, 1998, 45)In Ontario and Alberta however, the rights by the workers to strike is highly developed and seeks to provide an environment with which the correct employment measures to the workers by their employer are in conflicting interests. Within the private sector, rights to strike are provided by the NLRA. Legal rights to strike are implements in Canada which seeks to fight the negative implication of workers while on strike. This is in search of preventing any causal penalties of monetary capacity or other job threats that may be imposed by the employers and also the Federal laws.This is also a tool for the challenge on the different conditions that may compromise the status of the workers in undergoing a strike. Since the basic implication of labor unions is to provide a bargaining power to the employees, their move to strike is a basic formal response to the inadequacy in the employment contracts imposed by the employers. However, since any strike is allied to various losses and operational disadvantages of a preferential capacity, the move to strike by the workers may be compounded by rigid statutory implications and pronouncements by the employers which may hitherto comromise the state of their striking condition.Basically therefore, right to strike comes in as a basic tool which seeks to safeguard the interest of the striking workers against the impact of such unfavourable and threat conditions from the employers. The call for union strikes should therefore be responded by various legal rights that seek to authenticate their job boycott activity. Strike voting by the members should be provided with a subject of a broa d image of legal rights.The basic entitlement of workers in there working places is adequate and good conditions with which they can dispense their activity.   Through the political activity of the workers association in striking, political developments in Canada have been changed to create better forms of labor laws. Also, the political nature of the country has also been shaped by the effect of the striking workers. The legal entitlement to collective bargaining power by the workers are such as wages, working periods and hours as well as other employment terms and conditions.According to the provisions of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), Labor strike is only limited to the preferential parameters that operate within employee relation. These parameters are to safeguard upon the statutory foundations of the laws and rights within which the tool of labor strike should operate in. Since the statutory foundations are used to provide a formal conservation in the rights to st rike by the workers, any explicit as well as implicit accords of negative subjectivism by the employers is provided and captured within the fundamental scope of the employer to employee relationship. (Joseph, 1995, 1)The solution for resolving the conflict between the employers and the workers union should primarily be in good faith in the short run. However, if the same resolution has failed, legal impasse occurs with which the legal statutes seek to provide interventions between the components. Like the rule of the game, the win and win situation between the two components gives way for  Ã‚   legal statutes of rights to strike by the workers to become operational. (Edward, 2002, 4)Generally, a mediation intercept seeks to rationalize the fundamental inadequacy between the employees and their employers to impact of a failing mediation provides for legal disputation through workers strike for the workers to operate.   This has been evident in Ontario and Alberta. Like other bill s of human rights, the right to strike by the employees to their employers should be formalized. Such rights provide a comprehension of the legal framework support for the move to retract of their faded legal empowerment and conditions of work. Such rights seek to provide the most adequate safeguard to the negative implication which may compound loss in job as well as statutory compensation to their organization for the losses occurred during their striking period.From the compulsive changes in the labor laws by the Canadian state legal system, the basic disadvantages that develop from the consequences of the negatively impacting legal framework can be provided for. This is in fight by stringent parameter in the scope of strikes by the workers in their crave for the most adequate working conditions.With the decreasing membership of persons to labor unions, the declining legal protection to such workers in the striking  Ã‚   activity should adequately be developed. However, the pol itical dispensation has grown to provide a base in the support for the actions levied on a collective support of the unions. This is a big indicator in rationalizing the level of liberal society within the Canada. However, the recent trend in the labor striking is seldom reducing from the impacts of the eroded implications of the individual rights to strike while at work. (Edward, 2002, 1)The question of striking has changed its notion from the broad outlook within Canada from constitutional fundamentality to being on the commercial relationship. The eroded sovereignty in labor strikes should be upgraded as a support to provide better contractual relationship between workers and their employers. Generally therefore, the support for the rights to strike is seldom a tool for supporting the move towards fighting for lucrative workplace efficiencies by the workers from their employers.Such striking rights acts as the basic support which is used to safeguard the preferential negative imp lications which may hitherto develop from the move to fighting for the lucrative fundamentals in their working places. (David, 1997, 1)The rights to strike should be fundamental across the globe where the higher levels of worker productivity would also be achieved through the effects of worker motivation. The same has been adequately achieved through mobilization efforts by the workers in Canada. Through the comparative legality to undertaking workers strikes, the expressions of the workers would be fed to even more consequential autonomy. The will and requirements would be brought out as a basic advantage to both their personal interest and their employers.Work cited.Edward Wolf. Working in America: A Blueprint for the New Labor Market. Southern Economic Journal, Vol. 69, 2002Daniel Jacoby. Laboring for Freedom: A New Look at the History of Labor in America. M.E Sharpe, 1998David Bonior. Unions in the Twenty-First Century. Challenge, Vol.40, 1997Jessica Rosenberg & Samuel Rosenberg . Do Unions Matter? An Examination of the Historical and Contemporary Rule of Labor Unions in the Social Work Profession. Social Work, Vol. 51, 2006Joseph Mosca. Unions in the 21st Century. Public Personal Management, Vol. 24, 1995Mirillo Maria. Labor Unions, Partisan Coalitions and Market Reforms in Latin America. Cambridge. Cambridge University Press, 2001Stanley Sudman. Laboring for Freedom: A New Look at the History of Labor in America. Monthly Labor Review, Vol. 122, 1999