Labor Unions SP11

Economics -> American Capitalism and Social Justice Spring 11

Union Poster<ref>Cornell University ILR School. ilr.cornell.edu. 2011. 08 May 2011 <http://www.ilr.cornell.edu/international/news/042805_NeverWorkAlone.html>.</ref>

Look For the Union Label (Song)

1978 Union Commercial - Click to Play

Organizations for social Change

AFL-CIO

AFL-CIO<ref>AFL-CIO. afl-cio.org. 2011. 08 May 2011 <http://www.aflcio.org/aboutus/>.</ref>

The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations is a federation of 55 national and international labor unions that was formed by the merger of the AFL and the CIO in 1955. They represent 12.2 million workers among them are teachers, miners, firefighters, farm workers, bakers, engineers, pilots, public employees, doctors, nurses, painters, plumbers and more. <ref>AFL-CIO. afl-cio.org. 2011. 08 May 2011 <http://www.aflcio.org/aboutus/>.</ref> "The mission of the AFL-CIO is to improve the lives of working families—to bring economic justice to the workplace and social justice to our nation." <ref>AFL-CIO. afl-cio.org. 2011. 08 May 2011 <http://www.aflcio.org/aboutus/>.</ref> The AFL-CIO is trying to accomplish these goals; by organizing workers into unions, by building a strong political voice for workers, and by changing unions to provide a new voice in the changing economy. The AFL-CIO is trying to recruit and train the next generation of organizers so that it can get its members, its leaders, and unorganized workers to understand the need to be organized. It also sees the need to gain resources and new strategies in order to organize and win union contracts. The AFL-CIO further pledges to fight for the rights of working families at all levels of the government and speak out for economic and social justice. Their ultimate goal is to create enough power within the labor movement to give workers a voice so that they can speak out on issues that affect them. The AFL-CIO also wants to see the union as not just an organization that focuses solely on worker contracts but one that gives the workers a say in every aspect of a business including where capital is invested, what is the quality of the products or services and how work is organized. The AFL-CIO also ultimately wants to build stronger working communities that promote the needs of workers. The AFL-CIO also has other programs that promote social justice including their corporate watch, which alerts people to extravagant CEO salaries and human rights violations by corporations, such as sweatshops. They also encourage others to join unions and promote that unions could be unstoppable with unity, solidarity, and democracy. <ref>AFL-CIO. afl-cio.org. 2011. 08 May 2011 <http://www.aflcio.org/aboutus/>.</ref>

Service Employees International Union

The SEIU was founded in 1921 in Chicago and today it represents over 2.2 million workers, a quarter of whom are immigrants. <ref>SEIU. seiu.org. N.D. 08 May 2011 <http://www.seiu.org/history/>.</ref> SEIU is the largest healthcare union, representing more than 1.1 million nurses, LPNs, doctors, lab technicians, nursing home workers, and home care workers. It is also the largest property services union with 225,000 janitors, security officers, superintendents, maintenance workers, window cleaners, and doormen. It is the second largest public services union with more than 1 million local and state government workers, public employees, bus drivers, and child care employees. <ref>SEIU. seiu.org. N.D. 08 May 2011 <http://www.seiu.org/history/>.</ref> The members of the SEIU are united by their belief in the dignity and worth of workers and the services they provide. They are dedicated to improving the lives of workers and their families and to creating a more just and humane society. <ref>SEIU. seiu.org. N.D. 08 May 2011 <http://www.seiu.org/history/>.</ref> The SEIU has tried to accomplish this recently by their promotion of the Affordable Care Act. The SEIU says that the Affordable Care Act will give affordable health care and improve the health and lives of those who need it the most including working families, seniors, women, minorities, and young adults. This will also keep skyrocketing premiums and outrageous profits from insurance companies in check. <ref>SEIU. seiu.org. N.D. 08 May 2011 <http://www.seiu.org/history/>.</ref> The SEIU is also promoting a petition to recall Republican Senators in Wisconsin who passed anti-labor legislation.

LaborNet

LaborNet is a website that was founded in 1991 as a place to build a democratic communication network for the labor movement. It is promoted as a place where workers can publicize their struggles and campaigns for workers rights. It includes stories about strikes, lockouts and worker’s fights to organize. LaborNet is also trying to create a Labor News page in the US as well as an international communication network between labor and its allies. LaborNet is also working to keep the Internet free from censorship and privatization so that sites like LaborNet can continue to communicate and build world unionism. <ref>LaborNet. labornet.org. N.D. 08 May 2011 <http://www.labornet.org/about.htm>.</ref>

Institute for Global Labour & Human Rights

Formerly the National Labor Committee, the Institute for Global Labour & Human Rights was founded in 1981. The main goals of the organization are to help defend human rights of workers in the global economy, to empower workers in the developing world by educating them about their fundamental legal rights, to assist them in organizing and to educate global citizens about their role as responsible consumers. The organization tries to accomplish this by sending field researchers to investigate cases of human rights abuses by multinational corporations. They also engage workers as well as companies and government officials in an attempt to improve working conditions and human rights. They promote education focused on empowering US citizens to support workers and defend their rights. <ref>Institute for Global Labour & Human Rights. globallabourrights.org. N.D. 08 May 2011 <http://www.globallabourrights.org/about>.</ref>. The Institute for Global Labour & Human Rights also has a page on its website called campaigns. The campaigns page displays articles relating to current strikes as well as human rights violations and social injustice taking place in sweatshops and factories around the world so that the public can be educated and learn more about these atrocities.

UNITE HERE!

UNITE HERE!<ref>UNITE HERE! unitehere.org. 08 May 2011 <http://www.unitehere.org/about/>.</ref>.

UNITE HERE is a union that represents workers in the hotel, gaming, food service, manufacturing, textile, distribution, laundry, and airport industries. UNITE HERE has a diverse membership many of its members are immigrants, minorities and women. Through organizing, UNITE HERE has been able to make hundreds of thousands of traditionally low-wage jobs into good, family-sustaining, middle class jobs. <ref>UNITE HERE! unitehere.org. 08 May 2011 <http://www.unitehere.org/about/>.</ref>. One of the ways in which UNITE HERE! Is trying to accomplish their goals is through their “Sleep with the Right people” program which is a general boycott of Hyatt hotels. Hyatt discriminated against LGBT workers when it donated $125,000 to put proposition 8 on the ballot in California. <ref>UNITE HERE! unitehere.org. 08 May 2011 <http://www.unitehere.org/about/>.</ref>.

Industrial Workers of the World

The main goal of the IWW is to create one big union that encompasses all workers from around the world. It does this by creating industrial unions rather than mere trade unions because it believes that having a union that encompasses an entire industry will be more beneficial to workers within that industry. Likewise the goal is that unions representing different yet interrelated industries can work together to achieve the greatest benefit for all workers. This of course will result in more effective working class solidarity. <ref>Industrial Workers of the World. iww.org. 08 May 2011 <http://www.iww.org/en/unions>.</ref>. Industries that are represented under the IWW are Agriculture and Fisheries, Mining and Minerals, General Construction, Manufacture and General Production, Transportation and Communication, and Public Service. They are trying to accomplish their goal of global unionism through an extensive worldwide recruiting campaign that includes organizers in the US, UK, and Australia. <ref>Industrial Workers of the World. iww.org. 08 May 2011 <http://www.iww.org/en/unions>.</ref>.

Teamsters for a Democratic Union

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Teamster<ref>Teamsters for a Democratic Union. tdu.org. N.D. 08 May 2011 <http://tdu.org/node/2448>.</ref>.

In 1976 the Teamsters Union was controlled by the Mob. TDU was able to organize the union and give members the right to vote for their officials. Now the main goal of TDU is to ensure that all Teamsters are being represented equally. They also want to bring Teamsters together in order to increase Teamster Power. They push for contracts to represent the needs of Teamsters rather than contracts that include concessions and benefit cuts. TDU aims to accomplish these goals by educating its members so that they will be able to be strong leaders in their unions and will be able to spread TDU’s message. TDU also holds union leaders accountable through its newsletters to ensure that there is no more corruption in the Teamsters union. They also want to increase membership both at home and internationally so that they can increase their bargaining power. <ref>Teamsters for a Democratic Union. tdu.org. N.D. 08 May 2011 <http://tdu.org/node/2448>.</ref>.Today one of their main goals is the prevention of pension cuts and they are trying to accomplish this by working directly with the Teamsters to collectively bargain for better contracts.

LaborNotes

The main goal of LaborNotes is to use media to give union activists a voice and further the labor movement. They try to accomplish this goal through the use of a magazine, a website, books, conferences and workshops. Through the use of these media they try to promote organizing and aggressive strategies to fight concessions. They also promote alliances with workers’ centers and unions that are run by union members. LaborNotes also tries to establish itself as a network of rank-and-file workers and labor activists who attempt to further the labor movement’s causes. LaborNotes stresses the importance of the labor movement now more than ever because today workers have lower wages and benefits and less job security than their parents did. LaborNotes is trying to accomplish its goals through the publication of its monthly magazine which features articles about top labor issues of the day from the workers point of view. It also has several books including “A Troublemaker’s Handbook 2” which is a manual that includes strategies on how to overcome the oppression of your boss. LaborNotes also holds conferences and workshops to educate workers on how to organize and fight for workers rights and benefits through collective bargaining. <ref>Labor Notes. labornotes.org. N.D. 08 May 2011 <http://labornotes.org/about>.</ref>.

Is this Social Justice?

All of these organizations fight for the right of workers to come together and organize so that their rights can be bargained for in a democratic way. They promote stronger rights for workers and their families at home and abroad. They also promote equal representation among members which gives every worker a voice. Many of these organizations fight for social and economic justice. The AFL-CIO promotes social and economic justice through their corporate watch which alerts the public to extravagant executive pay as well as any human rights violations made by corporations. They also promote that workers should have an equal say in every aspect of a business. The Institute for Global Labour & Human Rights brings to light human rights violations made by multi-national corporations in the developing world. UNITE HERE has turned traditionally low paying jobs into respectable middle-class jobs. The IWW tries to bring workers together from all over the world to promote social justice. All of these organizations promote the education of the public on the social injustice that is going on in work places everywhere. Many of these organizations promote equality in the work place and many of their members include minorities, immigrants, and women. They all try to promote the rights of workers to good pay, decent working conditions, and strong benefits including pensions, health care and leisure time. These organizations are all on the frontlines in the fight for social justice and human rights.

Alperovitz and Unions

In his book, America Beyond Capitalism, Gar Alperovitz writes about the struggle of Americans to take back the control of liberty, democracy, and monetary power from corporations. Alperovitz is most famous for his “Pluralist Commonwealth.” In this, he writes that the most important principle is “that ownership of the nation’s wealth must ultimately be shifted, institutionally, to benefit the vast majority”.<ref>Alperovitz, Gar. (2005). America Beyond Capitalism: Reclaiming Our Wealth, Our Liberty, and Our Democracy (p. 79). Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons.</ref> The primary goal of a union is to do just that, fight inequality and improve the lives of working people. The AFL-CIO publishes facts on the advantages given to employees that are the members of a union. As a whole, union members have a 28 percent wage advantage over nonunion employees.<ref>AFL-CIO. (2011). Union Advantage by the Numbers. In The Union Difference. Retrieved from http://www.aflcio.org/joinaunion/why/uniondifference/index.cfm</ref> This advantage applies to minorities as well. Women in unions, for example, have a 34 percent higher wage.<ref>AFL-CIO. (2011). Union Advantage by the Numbers. In The Union Difference. Retrieved from http://www.aflcio.org/joinaunion/why/uniondifference/index.cfm</ref> Latinos experience the highest wage advantage, with a 51 percent higher wage average.<ref>AFL-CIO. (2011). Union Advantage by the Numbers. In The Union Difference. Retrieved from http://www.aflcio.org/joinaunion/why/uniondifference/index.cfm</ref> Other union benefits include a 56 percent health insurance advantage and a 209 percent pension advantage.<ref>AFL-CIO. (2011). Union Advantage by the Numbers. In The Union Difference. Retrieved from http://www.aflcio.org/joinaunion/why/uniondifference/index.cfm</ref>

Alperovitz is a proponent of worker-run companies. Many unions are working towards this goal by fighting for greater worker input in company decisions. The AFL-CIO, for example, is fighting for the promotion of democracy by having unions (and therefore the workers) be more involved in planning and monitoring policies on development. They are also pushing for the global right to freedom of association in order to insure the right of workers to bargain collectively and get more of a say in business decisions.<ref>AFL-CIO. (27 June, 2005). Democratizing the Global Economy – Empowering Workers, Building Democracy, Achieving Shared Prosperity. Retrieved from http://www.aflcio.org/aboutus/thisistheaflcio/ecouncil/ec06272005c.cfm</ref> Most unions are not looking to form cooperatives, as the author would prefer, but they are succeeding in forcing the company to take their opinions into account before decisions are made. Alperovitz has no faith in central governing and believes that change comes from the people. The union movement in this country is separate from a political party, as is the case in other countries. This way, unions can act a watchdog group for the government. They can make sure that Congress is passing pro-labor laws and lobby or fight them when they fail. The AFL-CIO blames failed policy for the declining standard of living among workers. The most important issues they are fighting are the lack of unions abroad due to anti-organization laws, the North American Free Trade Agreement, and tax incentives to outsource. Because the government cannot be trusted to take the initiative to make these changes, the union has decided to make it their mission to fight for legislative changes.<ref>AFL-CIO. (27 June, 2005). Democratizing the Global Economy – Empowering Workers, Building Democracy, Achieving Shared Prosperity. Retrieved from http://www.aflcio.org/aboutus/thisistheaflcio/ecouncil/ec06272005c.cfm</ref>

Unions fight against Capitalist corruption, yet they themselves are not free of the same faults. A good example of union corruption is the Teamsters. Their most prominent leader, Jimmy Hoffa, was a very corrupt man, funneling a significant amount of union dues into his own pocket. In response to this corruption, the Teamsters For a Democratic Union was formed. They fight the corruption within the union much like a union fights corruption in the marketplace.<ref>Teamsters For a Democratic Union. (30 October, 2008). Who We Are, What We’ve Won, Where We Stand. Retrieved from http://tdu.org/whoweare</ref> They use the same tactics Alperovitz proposes. They are fighting for more say in the union’s leadership by enforcing supervised elections, fair rules, and holding the leadership accountable for their decisions. <ref>Teamsters For a Democratic Union. (14 March, 2007). The Fight to Save Our Union (TDU History 1998-2007). Retrieved from http://tdu.org/node/757</ref>

Domhoff and Unions

G. William Domhoff has similar views to Alperovitz in the sense that they both feel the current power structure needs to be change. Domhoff’s book, Who Rules America? Challenges to Corporate and Class Dominance, clearly lays out his arguments for how the social upper class gains and maintains control of the wealth and power in the United States. It is his opinion that this structure needs to change to give more power to the people.<ref>Domhoff, William G. (2010). Who Rules America? Challenges to Corporate and Class Dominance. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.</ref> The International Solidarity Commission formed by the Industrial Workers of the World has a very similar view. According to their website, they believe that “the concentration of capitalist ownership in the hands of fewer and fewer owners strengthens their hand, not only in contract negotiations, but in how the world works." <ref>International Solidarity Commission. (11 May, 2005). International Solidarity Commission. Retrieved from http://www.iww.org/en/projects/isc</ref> The solidarity commission was created for the sole purpose of fighting this system and working towards a more even distribution of power between employers and employees. <ref>International Solidarity Commission. (11 May, 2005). International Solidarity Commission. Retrieved from http://www.iww.org/en/projects/isc</ref> An organization called LaborNet is also fighting a similar battle. Their mission is to prevent the government or other entity from taking control of the Internet for the purposes of privatization or censorship. They feel that this would be another way for Capitalists to prevent workers from unionizing and would be a major setback to the labor movement.<ref>LaborNet. (n.d.). About LaborNet. Retrieved from http://www.labornet.org/about.htm</ref>

Yates and Unions

Solidarity Forever

Probably the most relevant author to labor unions is Michael D. Yates. His book, Why Unions Matter, is an in-depth discussion of the history of unions, the struggles they face, and what the future holds. Yates defines a union as an organization that “give[s] workers a ‘voice’ in their workplaces, a way to put themselves on a more equal footing with their employers."<ref>Yates, Michael D. (2009). Why Unions Matter (p. 44). New York, NY: Monthly Review Press.</ref>

Join a Union<ref>Jim. (29 April, 2006). May Day Demonstration. Retrieved from http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.indymedia.ie/attachments/apr2006/organise_now_join_a_union.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.indymedia.ie/article/75753&usg=__wPh3ZNT2MYdbCDvMD-ACPx85fAY=&h=623&w=1123&sz=303&hl=en&start=4&zoom=1&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=qPVrlqCdqfvLBM:&tbnh=83&tbnw=150&prev=/search%3Fq%3Djoin%2Bthe%2Bunion%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26tbm%3Disch&ei=vVrHTe6KMNTogQeE__TNBA</ref>

He refers not only to equality between employees and employers, but also equality amongst employees themselves. While the history of unions is rife with racism, sexism, and exclusion, these days there is a trend of unions fighting for the rights of workers of any gender or race.<ref>Yates, Michael D. (2009). Why Unions Matter. New York, NY: Monthly Review Press.</ref> The Service Employees International Union is one of those organizations. They state that they fight for the rights of all workers because they feel solidarity among all workers is the most effective way to gain ground.<ref>SEIU Communications. (25 April, 2011). A Union of Janitors is Born. Retrieved from http://www.seiu.org/2011/04/a-union-of-janitors-is-born.php#1_undefined,0_</ref> The Solidarity Center also works to improve minority workers’ situation. Women are especially well fought-for in this organization. The Center believes that the current economy is not working for them because, while they make up half of the workforce, they represent 75 percent of the population in poverty. They hold workshops and other educational events for women to give them the tools to empower themselves and take leadership positions.<ref>International Solidarity Commission. (n.d.). Gender & Equality. Retrieved from http://www.solidaritycenter.org/content.asp?pl=405&sl=419&contentid=419</ref> The UNITE HERE union has a very wide range of members because of the industries it represents. Airport employees, food service workers, gaming workers, hotel employees, and workers in the textile, laundry, manufacturing, and distribution industries are all represented by this union. By uniting the diverse cultures of the carrying industries, they can better support the causes of all workers.<ref>UNITE HERE. (n.d.). We Are One Union, One UNITE HERE! Retrieved from http://www.unitehere.org/about/</ref>

In the struggle for equality, unions have also become more global to better their chances in the fight. The AFL-CIO has global affiliates in order to improve the conditions of both the United States and developing countries. They feel that increasing the standard of living in developing countries will prevent illegal immigration because people will not feel the need to leave their country for work. They also believe that this would ease the problems of outsourcing, because companies would not be able to cut costs by going abroad. When workers in a particular industry in all countries band together, they can fight for equal rights for all workers, regardless of nationality.<ref>AFL-CIO. (27 June, 2005). Democratizing the Global Economy – Empowering Workers, Building Democracy, Achieving Shared Prosperity. Retrieved from http://www.aflcio.org/aboutus/thisistheaflcio/ecouncil/ec06272005c.cfm</ref> Labor Notes, an organizational project and union media outlet, encourages worldwide solidarity to increase the clout of and change the course of the labor movement.<ref>Labor Notes. (n.d.). About Labor Notes. Retrieved from http://labornotes.org/about</ref> Yates writes that the struggle of workers has all become increasingly political. As mentioned previously, unions have been responding to this by lobbying the government more and more, including in the international arena. Furthermore, he states that these international unions, which have previously globalized for purely selfish reasons, need to go global simply because it is the right thing to do.<ref>Yates, Michael D. (2009). Why Unions Matter (p. 204). New York, NY: Monthly Review Press.</ref> As can be seen in the above examples, this transformation has occurred in many unions. The Service Employees International Union has always had these goals in mind and other unions, like the AFL-CIO, have begun to jump on the bandwagon. They see the need to fight for workers abroad as not just a necessity, but as the decent thing to do from a social justice standpoint.

Bowles, Edwards, and Roosevelt

 "The duty of management is to make money. Our primary objective is not to make steel." -David Roderick, former chairman of the board, U.S. Steel as interviewed in the film The Business of America (1984)

In their work, "Understanding Capitalism" Bowles, Edwards and Roosevelt give a brief history of the rise and decline of the labor unions, and their increasingly diminished role in U.S. Labor markets. The unique specialization of individual craft unions, meant that each type of skilled worker belonged to a different union. This system was exclusive and promoted inter-industry divisions, working against the concept of universal labor unity. Despite attempts at wider unification, the labor climate during this time period (1890-1930) was not conducive to change. The employers simply had too much power, the supply of labor thanks to immigration and advent of technology greatly weakened the laborers bargaining power.

Major economic events such as the Great Depression and the class conflicts of the 1930s and 1940s would signal minor victories over the harsh, capitalist machine by the growing labor unions. "Collective Bargaining" constituted the backbone of an informal working relationship between the corporations and the unions. This represented a milestone in labor union history, after obtaining a solid footing with their employers unions were able to offer their members benefits and protection that they previously had not enjoyed, no matter how small they proved to be at first.

While this history may seem encouraging, the authors are quick to highlight that this was perhaps one of the peaks in the story of the labor unions. Contemporary American capitalism as an institution strives to be as efficient as possible, profit-maximization is its one and only priority. Union development may have protected unionized workers to an extent; limited arbitrary firings and increased job security were compensated by the employers by re-organizing the workplace with a system of bureaucratic control. By establishing a system of rules and job ladders, the labor spread became increasingly wider and job discrimination became a major issue. Gender and racial discrimination, no matter what union you are a part of played an unfortunate role in the corporate structure. Recent proof of this can be witnessed in the "rustbelt" manufacturing industry during the 1980-90s. Millions of workers in industries such as steel and autos were laid off, most with no prospects of returning to their previous pay-grade jobs.

Modern day capitalist employers expend much time and effort in circumnavigating the influence of unions, by organizing the social structure of laborers through systems of control, the employer can maximize profit and extract maximum work potential from a laborer. Technology in the labor process is a contentious factor in the relationship between laborer and employer, often causing disruption and chaos in the workplace. Whilst unions intend to combat the increasing role of technology in the labor process, capitalist employers frequently rely on technology for profit, leaving the laborer behind. In addition, exploiting gender and race discrimination in the hiring process creates tensions among the workers, only serving to boost profit rates and combat the attempts of union-led organization.

In conclusion, Bowles, Edwards and Roosevelt stress the fundamental fact that employers organize their entire capitalist machine to be as profitable as it can not as efficient. When a conflict arises between the two during the course of normal operation, tensions between workers and employers rise. Unions may never overcome the inherent shortcomings presented by the capitalist system, while they do offer some worker benefits and protections they may never fully coincide harmoniously without disruption.

References

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