Labor relation and regulation allow employees to form or join unions of their own choice. Illustratively, a labor union is understood as any group of employees or workers that is organized with an objective to pursue a uniform and common goal. Union's targets range from advocating for workers’ rights, better wages, employees' benefits, and better working conditions among other goals as the need may be. Fundamentally, unions exist for purposes of fighting for and protecting employees from exploitation ensure job security and advocate for workers’ rights against irrational employers (Dubofsky & McCartin, 2017). There are several types of unions; this is craft Unions and industrial unions. Craft unions are formed to represent the interests of employees that necessarily have the same expertise or same profession such as carpentry, masonry among others. On the other hand, there are the industrial unions; these unions are formulated to protect the interests of all the workers employed in similar industries or otherwise profession without regard to their skills or employers. The union is mandated to represent both the skilled and the unskilled workers equally (Markowitz, 2015). An example of these unions may include the United Still Workers of America among others.
Related to the above, there is the Collective Bargaining (CB). Collective bargaining is a method of negotiations, also referred to as a process where workers through their representatives can air their plights, negotiate. It is a method of staging a bargaining platform to consult and agree on mutually fair and rather acceptable agreements in terms of labor relations and rights. Important to note is that the sole purpose of the process of collective bargaining is to ensure that employees' wages and benefits are met and protected. In this regard, therefore, the negotiations and bargaining are done through utmost good faith to achieve desired results in favor of general workers. Stemming from the above, it is important to note that collective bargaining process initiates that peaceful industrial coexistence that is between employer and workers (Katz et al. 2017). When there is industrial peace, there will be no cases of economic unrests such employees’ strikes, and in return, there will be economic prosperity throughout the country. In the same breath, collective bargaining ensures that workers’ rights, demands, welfare, and interests are respected to the later.
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Legally, federal laws and other legislative pieces have been put in place to regulate employment and labor relations throughout the United States. There is the Norris–LaGuardia Act that gives the workers’ rights to form unions, similarly, there is the National Labor Relations Act that is referred to as the Wagner Act, and this Act prohibits employers from discriminating employees. On the other hand, there is the Fair Labor Standards Act which bans and prohibits child labor or employment. Labor–Management Relations Act plays a major role in stopping unfair employment practices. In the same breath, there is the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act that is also referred to as the Landrum–Griffin Act of 1959. This Act plays a significant role in managing and controlling the affairs of labor unions. Fundamentally, there the Wagner Act is the most critical Act and source of law protecting workers (Katz et al. 2017). This law was enacted to ensure that there is no discrimination during hiring and prohibits unfair employment practices.
Labor Unions have a significant role to workers; this has been made possible by the existence of a proper and viable legal framework that supports labor relations and collective bargaining. Some of these roles include the following; firstly, labor unions form the voice of the workers. Principally, unions are used strengthen the voices of the workers at their respective places of employment. It is logical that where a people are united and organized in a group, they have higher bargaining power as compared to a single employee at the workplace. This is an indication that workers are protected adequately. Apart from advocating for workers’ rights which are the sole purpose of the unions, another significant role revolves around advocating for fair wages and benefits (Dubofsky & McCartin, 2017). For decades, it is notable that unions' existence is crucial. They fundamentally struggle and fight to ensure that lives of workers are improved by advocating for enough and decent income or wages/compensation. Unions also advocate for a reduction of inequalities in wages and employee benefits for all levels of employment available.
Considerably, it is notable that Labor Unions have a significant role in workers decision making processes. Chiefly, unions have a say and crucial role in advocating for proper legislation and laws that fundamentally protect the rights of employees at the workplace. These rights and benefits range from non-discriminative policies, worker safety at work, compensations, health factors, medical insurance covers, employees welfare and growth among others. It is notable that the unions form the focal point and bridge to ensure that this is achievable. In the same breath, it is realizable that Labor unions are essential institutions to ensure that all the workers in whatever industries have a basic and fair compensation as a reward for the work done (Markowitz, 2015). Summarily, unions are concerned with the security, safety, satisfaction and the welfare of workers within the country.
Illustratively, collective bargaining encompasses labor negotiations between the workers who are also union members and the Union itself on the terms, benefits, and rights. Similarly, collective bargaining also involves negotiations the negotiations or processes of resolving disputes that may arise between employers and employees or other conflicts that may arise between the unions and its management. Collective bargaining significantly invokes legal dispute resolution methods through the court process and arbitration processes. Objectively, collective bargaining is invoked and used to achieve agreements between employees/workers union and the employers/management on the employment terms. Essentially collective bargaining is used to achieve and protect employer and workers interests. In the same breath, collective bargaining is inclusively used beneficially to maintain that grandly and harmonious relationship between the employers and workers unions and foster industrial democracy (Dubofsky & McCartin, 2017). Similarly, this form of bargaining is used to avoid intermeddling by the government in the affairs of the employee-employer relationship .
In conclusion, unions have made a myriad of achievements. This achievement ranges from achieving effective compensation for workers. Generally, it is epitomized that workers that are members of a union significantly earn a higher wage than the non-union workers at the same level of employment. Similarly, workers in a union are certain of job security. This is has been achieved by the process of collective bargaining and the powers of the labor unions. Union workers have established significant rights and cannot be punished arbitrary, discriminated unfairly treated in the workplace. On the other hand, collective bargaining is perceived to be the best tool of negotiation. However, in most cases, it may be the hampering notion towards achieving workers benefits or achieving an all-inclusive agreement (Katz , 2017). In a nutshell, it is realizable to note that labor unions and collective bargain play a significant role in ensuring that workers’ rights and interests including better working conditions are well protected. This is an indication that labor union collective bargaining is the necessary tools that ensure that there is harmonious coexistence between employers and workers.
References
Dubofsky, M., & McCartin, J. A. (2017). Labor in America: A history . John Wiley & Sons.
Katz, H., Kochan, T., & Colvin, A. (2017). The Law and Legal Systems. In An Introduction to U.S. Collective Bargaining and Labor Relations (pp. 55-88). Ithaca; London: Cornell University Press. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.7591/j.ctt1vjqr3z.8
Markowitz, L. (2015). Worker activism after successful union organizing . Routledge.
