In: Economics
explain history of unions and the future of unions in US ?
Labor Unions in the US has existed in one form or the other from the birth of the country with the main motive of protecting the rights of the labor. The initial period after the US independence approximately 100years there were no formal unions and therefore there is no proper movement in labor rights protection until 1791 with the first significant protest of the carpenters of Philadelphia for reducing their working hours. As more and more labors migrated in the US economy the wages got lowered and that enhanced the need for proper unions for maintaining proper working condition and favorable wage.
In the year 1866, the first formal union was established named as the National Labor Union for the negotiating the working hours of the workers to 8 hours a day. With the foundation of the first formal union, this led to the advent of the establishment of Federation of Organized Trade and Labor Unions in 1881 and after 5 years there is the establishment of American Federation of Labor. The US government also established Department of labor.
The labor unions grew their power during civil war since the need for laborers increase over that period and it got strengthen further during Great Depression since there was layoff of workers due to the crisis and this rose the need for job security. The power of the unions reached its peak during World War 2 since there were random strikes in various industries. During the period of 1940-1960, the labor unions played a very strong role.
Most experts are of opinion that the Unions have no such role in the US economy in coming futures.The descending pattern in private segment union thickness hints at no decreasing, substantially less of pivoting. Unions have neglected to get the Congress to authorize work law changes that would make sorting out less demanding. Union pioneers have put arranging at the highest point of the union motivation yet with no outstanding sorting out victories. Open area unions confront assaults on aggregate bartering in the midst of financial grimness that undermines their capacity to work.
The 2010-2011 assault on open area aggregate dealing electrifies union activists and their partners to a degree the US had not seen since the Depression Era. It delivered mass shows in Wisconsin, an avalanche vote in Ohio to cancel enactment confining aggregate bartering in that state, and an exertion the Governor and a few officials in Wisconsin. Wisconsin exhibits seemingly set the phase for the Occupy Wall Street dissents in the fall of 2011 that made wage disparity and the prosperity of the working class a national issue.
Unions are scanning for new structures to complete their memorable capacity of speaking to the interests of specialists. In the event that they discover one that succeeds, they can possibly revamp themselves as a lively social power. On the off chance that they fall flat, representatives outside of the union development, social business people or even administrators worried about specialist prosperity, may figure out how to remake work's voice in the US economy.