Introduction
Labor and labor relationships play an essential role in people’s lives as they determine their income, independence, and social security. Throughout the year, the question of labor has undergone various changes, and with it, the workers’ concerns regarding labor have changed. Today’s labor relations and the ways workers negotiate with their employers are influenced by federal status enforced in 1930 and the following years (Heavrin & Carrell, 2012). Since then, American history has seen plenty of hardships and upheavals, and so has the labor maker and various industries.
Workers Concern from the 1930s to the 2000s
In the 1930s, the times of the Great Depression, workers’ concerns revolved around humane work conditions and obtainment of work in general. Factory workers had to wait in front of the factory to be called for work, and if they did not receive approval, they would have to be unemployed for that day. The conditions of their working environment were also highly severe (Heavrin & Carrell, 2012). The passage of the National Labor Relations Act in 1935 lightened the burden of these issues for factory workers. However, for workers in the farming industry, it had continued to be a problem until 1960s protests in California. Their concerns lay within the realms of wages and strive to access rights to collective bargaining (Heavrin & Carrell, 2012). The 1960s also brought resolution, at least in legal form, to such concerns as discriminations based on race, gender, or age. In the 1970s, discrimination against women due to pregnancy, childbirth, or other similar condition was prohibited. The 1990s saw legal restrictions on measures against qualified disabled people.
Workers Concerns from the 2000s to 2015
People’s concerns in the 21st century revolved around the overtaking of technology instead of manual and intellectual labor. These concerns were prominent in the last decade of the 20th century; however, at the beginning of the 21st century, people have begun to be especially concerned with the replacement of intellectual workers by computers. Another change that this time has brought was the Genetic Nondiscrimination Act (Heavrin & Carrell, 2012). This policy elevated the danger of the employees being discriminated against based on their genetic information.
Workers Concerns from 2016 to 2022
2016 was the year of the election, and it has brought strong political concerns among employees of many industries and markets. Many marginalized groups expressed worry that their economic position would be compromised due to the new Presidential Administration’s policies. Technological development has also contributed to workers’ unease with the labor sphere as its introduction often can bring techno-anxiety and techno-fatigue (Giorgi et al., 2022). In the light of the Coronavirus pandemic, many have been concerned with the security of their jobs when various places of work have been closed in lockdowns. These times also changed women’s positions in family-operated firms (Kushins & Quispe-Agnoli, 2022). The women’s growing concerns with their position in this world, their rights, and fulfillment of their needs drove them to seek other places of employment.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the workers’ concerns regarding labor have changed depending on the economic and political situation in the country. Throughout the years, people have been concerned with the stability of their job, fair wages, and discrimination in the workplace. America’s rich history provides many examples of acts and policies created to quench those worries. In more recent years, the outbreak of the pandemic heightened the anxiety around job stability and introduced worries about familiarization with technologies.
References
Giorgi, G., Ariza-Montes, A., Mucci, N., & Leal-Rodríguez, A. L. (2022). The dark side and the light side of technology-related stress and stress related to workplace innovations: From artificial intelligence to business transformations. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(3), 1248.
Heavrin, C., Carrell, M. R. (2012). Labor relations and collective bargaining: Private and public sectors. Pearson.
Kushins, E.R. & Quispe-Agnoli, M. (2022). Where did all the free family firm labor go? Women’s changing role and inclusion in the US economy. In R.N. Trevinyo-Rodríguez & M. A. Gallo (Eds.), The power of inclusion in family business, (pp. 61–76). Emerald Publishing Limited.