Unions in America existed since 1935 when an act was passed concerning national labor relations. The primary purpose for it was to form a collective for the employees so that they can safeguard their rights and bargain accordingly for their well-being in the workplace (Schipani, Milliken & Dworkin, 2016). In America today, it is safe to state that unions do not carry the weight they once did.
Human resource management when compared to unions their functions in a company setting are like the exact opposite of a sphere. This is based on the fact that HRM mainly safeguards the company’s interest, ensure labor force is fully maximized, and the most returns are attained. However, unions fight for the labor force, best wages and working conditions. According to the U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the number of union members in the country dropped from 11.1% to 10.7 in 2016 alone (Hogler, Hunt & Weiler, 2015). Ironically, the fact that HR is able to handle any employee grievances within the company has resulted in union representation being superfluous (Schipani, Milliken & Dworkin, 2016). There is an emphasis on employee engagement, complaint resolutions systems and lack of discrimination in the workplace.
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Workers that have union membership consequently earn a higher pay compared to non-union members according to BLS. This proves inconsequential as most of these workers work in high cost of living. Employers resort to outsourcing and reduction of responsibility to provide health insurance in some cases as a threat for concessions from these unions yet after that they still don’t follow through with their bargain.
Management of funds within the union is also an issue as its workers receive less money from the government every election period; the union companies lack an adaptation model for change and the blatant disregard for growing economy and cutthroat competition in existence. All these reasons play to obliterate the key functions of unions.
In conclusion, unions in America do not hold the relevance and weight they used to during its inception. This is owing to the Human Resource functions in companies today that safeguard the well-being of their workers, deal with any complaints, employers strain to shed off more responsibilities to its employees and mismanagement of funds in the unions and lack of taxpayer returns to the middle-class persons.
References
Hogler, R. L., Hunt, H. G., & Weiler, S. (2015). Killing unions with culture: Institutions, inequality, and the effects of labor’s decline in the United States. Employee Responsibilities and Rights Journal , 27 (1), 63-79.
Schipani, C. A., Milliken, F. J., & Dworkin, T. M. (2016). The Impact of Employment Law and Practices on Business and Society: The Significance of Worker Voice. U. Pa. J. Bus. L. , 19 , 979.
Stevis, D. (2018). US labour unions and green transitions: depth, breadth, and worker agency. Globalizations , 15 (4), 454-469.
