Labor Unions SP10

The Purpose of Unions

Conflict

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 [1]. 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 [2]. 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.

How Unions Work

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…” [3] 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. [4]