Labor unions as the associations of the workers and employees are proceeded from the idea of creating the good environmental conditions, including the adequate pay and fair working hours. Joined together, people can protect their rights and improve the process, developing more comfortable conditions.
The purpose of unions is to communicate collectively within the work process, regarding to its peculiarities and industrial characteristics. In this case, the members of unions can find the most appropriate solutions for improving the job security, increasing the benefits and overcame the fears of penalty.
The history of unions provides a clear demonstration of its importance and power. However, the current economical situation and Globalization impact the work process on the different levels; therefore the unions should develop the new ways of broaden their appeal to a workplace environment.
During the past century, workers of all industries have been searching for the work conditions’ improvement. It was extremely important to develop the new methods of the job security and increase the living standards. In order to achieve those goals, at the beginning of the century, in America was created the Teamsters Union with about 1,3 million members.
In 1957, this union was reorganized into AFL-CIO that counted above 13 million workers. The changing landscape caused the reduction of the members. When the giant corporations realize the benefits of the use of human resource that requires lower wage rates, the unions were not able to stop this process. The influence of Globalization led to the terrible situation within the work environment.
Moreover, the introduction of the modern technologies reduced the value of human resource. The companies realized that it is easier to control an automatic process than workers. Therefore, the technical advantage such computerized technologies led to the negative changes for the workers.
Nevertheless, the unions were able to compete with the corporations, bargaining the agreements, dictating their clauses and providing a good protection of the workers. The large unions such as the national Educational Association of the United States, United Food, and Service Employees International Union demonstrated a successful policy. The highest ration of the unions’ members is in the public sector.
Teachers, police officers and fire fighters cooperate closely in order of common goods. The manufacturing industries always had high rates. If at the beginning the unions were made of “blue-collar” workers of the manufacturing sector, today, the total range of them is only about 35%.
Today, modification of the unions’ philosophy is highly important step that should help to accommodate the unions to the shifting landscape. The workers seek for the extension of the unions in order to broaden their membership rights. XXI century requires introduction of the new dimension.
Therefore, today, we can observe the changes of the unions that experience a reduction of the members, its value and power within the working process. Nowadays, the unions should provide more strict and effective methods in order to prove their ability to manage the work process and to improve the situation.
The companies provide bargaining agreements that include bigger salary of the unions’ members than non-members. However, Globalization and landscape change as its peculiarity influences the position and power of the local unions.
One of the bright examples is the British trade union that was very productive in the age of industrialization. Today, we can notice the high level of reduction within the British manufacturing. For the giant companies such as Shell, Unilever, Tesco is more profitable to use the human resource of the developing countries.
The local unions should pay more attention to the various community activities. They have to realize an importance of the policy of broad communication with the different social structures. One of the reforms can be directed on the schools. Involving students into the communicative process, the unions can educate the new members who will create the new methods and improve the current system.
This process can be reached by paying taxes to the schools. Although such method can be considered as expensive, the results are worst of this expenditure. Sponsoring the educational programs, the unions’ managers could create closer relations between the top of the organization and the members.
The second solution can be found in the reduction of the fluctuations and developing of the financial stability. The unions should provide an independent policy based on the internal capital. The financial freedom helps being responsible through the surveillance of the giant corporations and government.
The history of unions demonstrates their ability to manage the complicated social problems. However, today, there is a negative tendency of the reduction of the unions’ power. Workers are not interested to join the unions due to their inability to withstand the changes.
Although workers today are more protected than one hundred years ago, the unions should provide the reforms that could protect members from the negative influence of the landscape changes within Globalization. The financial freedom and involvement of the young members can help the unions create the new competitive system.