Introduction
The major goals of the AFL-CIO are “to improve the lives of working families” with the sole mission of providing them with “economic justice” at their workplace which will subsequently provide the U.S. with social justice. The AFL-CIO attempts to achieve its goals by the creation of labor movements and “organizing workers into unions” with the sole mission of building a “strong political voice” for the workers of America.
Discussion
The AFL-CIO is not a labor union but an association and voluntary federation of “56 national and international labor unions” and was formed by the “merger of the American Federation of Labor and the Congress of Industrial Organizations”. With no direct say in the active functioning of the labor unions, the prime objective and function of the AFL-CIO is to “recruit and train the next generation of organizers” and to collect the resources which are necessary for organizing the campaigns and contracts of the union. They will play the role of creating the awareness for “need to organize” among the members of the federation and the unorganized workers. Unfair Labor practices which can occur on the part of employers include lack of insurance for the worker, lack of pension coverage, unreasonable working hours and lack of safety protection for workers for instance employers could make workers jobs and incomes less secure by downsizing, employing part-time workers and contracting the work.
Labor unions could indulge in unfair practices of restricting union entry on the basis of race, creed, color, sex or national origin and even on the basis of religion or sexual orientation. While unions could be associated with unfair practices including reduced worker benefits and reduced pay for work, labor unions could be unfair to laborers in restricting their entry to the union on the basis of sex, caste, religion or any other discriminatory actions.
An organization conducts an organizing process by conducting a “highly selective, paid training and placement program” in accordance with the talent of the individuals from distinct backgrounds who aspire to be union leaders with unions. The organization also provides training of potential leaders to “meet the needs of an individual union working on a particular organizing campaign”. In this way the organization provides “training staff and objective evaluations to the union”.
Conclusion
Labor unions function for the benefit of the employees and ensure that they are not exploited at their places of work. Joining labor unions is especially beneficial to minorities and women, and provides for enhanced pension and health care to employees. While on the one hand they work to bring low wage workers out of the realm of poverty into the middle class. By and large, labor unions are for the benefits of workers and good for the lower middle class section of society.
References
American Federation of Labor – Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), (2009). Web.