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| ='''The Purpose of Unions'''= | | ='''The Purpose of Unions'''= |
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| ==Conflict==
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| Labor Unions in the United States are the means in which the working class can fight against the conflicts of the capitalist system. It must be established that capitalism is a system of conflicts; in fact, conflict is one of the driving forces in Capitalism. One of conflict of focus is between the working class and the owning class. These two groups are set against each other because they are striving for opposing goals [http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1875/gotha/ch01.htm]. The owning or capitalist class is looking to secure more profit in order to grow. Therefore, they always attempt to pay the lowest wage for the highest amount of labor time. Yet, the working class is striving to work the least amount of hours while obtain the highest possible wages, in an effort to advance their position in society <ref name="example web reference">[http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1875/gotha/ch01.htm]. However, historically this struggle has not been an even one. Since Capitalists’ are the owners of the means of production, they have an intrinsic advantage because they have control over the workers’ wages, hours, and benefits and usually are able to overpower any individual worker.
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| ==How Unions Work==
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| When a union is able to form between those in the working class, their ability to change their position as subordinates to the owning class becomes possible. A union is a group of workers who unite in order to advance their situation in the work place. As Karl Marx stated in 1875, “It is altogether self-evident that, to be able to fight at all, the working class must organize itself as a class…” [http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/bio/media/marx/79_01_05.htm] What Karl Marx is trying to explain is the power of the owning class is overwhelming because they own the property, the facilities and the product being produced. However if the working class can unite in an effort to secure certain goals they can become quite powerful. Since they are the ones doing the physical work in the factory the workers keep the businesses going and therefore, as a group, have the ability to stop working and cause the capitalist to lose profits. This can be devastating to any capitalist endeavor and ideally will cause him to negotiate with the workers for a better wage and better hours. Yet, it is not that simple because when the workers stop working, they are not being paid and the working class cannot survive long with out their wages. This means that in order for workers to gain anything through forming a union and striking, they must also make great sacrifices and risk their livelihood. [http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1875/gotha/ch01.htm]
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| =='''Unions in the United States'''==
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| The Labor movement first began in 1872 in Philadelphia with the founding of what is called the Knights of St. Crispin. This was a group of radical laborers whose “membership mounted to 40,000 or 50,000, whereas the next largest unions of the time claimed only 10,000 to 12,000.”[http://www.google.com/books?id=AAQXAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_v2_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false] Such movements were motivated by the complete lack of regulation of the capitalist system as well as no laws that prohibited social discrimination or exploitation. [4] This meant that the working class at the time was living in such horrible conditions that they were became radicalized. This is a very important aspect in the rise of labor unions because until conditions became horrible for the working class, no one thought to create a union. [http://www.google.com/books?id=AAQXAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_v2_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false] The United States did however, have the advantage of looking at other countries industrial revolutions and realizing that capitalism is very exploitative and therefore, unions are a necessity for the working class to establish, before conditions become unbearable. Through out the 1900s the labor unions slowly gained power, mostly due to an influx in immigration during the time. [http://www.google.com/books?id=AAQXAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_v2_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false] These immigrants were heavily exploited and impoverished. Yet, because the idea of unions had already been established in other countries, Americans were able to form unions like the Knights of St. Crispin, the National Labor Union and the Knights of Labor.[http://www.google.com/books?id=AAQXAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_v2_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false]
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Revision as of 04:58, 13 May 2010
The Purpose of Unions
