Understanding Organized Labor: Unions and Their Impact

1. Organized Labor In this lesson, students will be able to identify characteristics of unions. Students will be able to identify and/or define the following terms: Union Collective Bargaining Strike Mediation Arbitration E. Napp

2. In the early years of the Industrial Revolution, workers were frequently exploited. E. Napp

3. Union • Workers realized that united workers had more power than a worker alone. Therefore, workers formed unions. • A union is an organization of workers which tries to improve wages, working conditions, and benefits for their members. • Bosses tried to break unions but unions survived. E. Napp

4. Bosses tried to break unions but unions survived. E. Napp

5. Union Tactics • A strike is an organized work stoppage. Sometimes union members go on strike to improve their working conditions or wages. • When union and company representatives meet to negotiate a new contract, collective bargaining occurs. • Unions use many tactics to improve the lives of their members. E. Napp

6. When union and company representatives meet to negotiate a new contract, collective bargaining occurs. E. Napp

7. Mediation and Arbitration • Sometimes union and company representatives cannot agree on the terms of a new contract. To ensure a new contract, mediation or arbitration can occur. • In mediation, a neutral party tries to find a mutually beneficial solution. The solution can be rejected. • In arbitration, a neutral party imposes a solution. It must be accepted. It is legally binding. E. Napp

8. Mediation, you can reject. Arbitration, you must accept. E. Napp

9. Employment and Unions • Eventually, unions gained power. Though it is illegal today, unions forced employers to use closed shops. • A closed shop is a business that only hires union members. • A union shop is a business that will hire nonunion members but requires them to join the union once they are hired. E. Napp

10. As unions became more powerful, employers were pressured to only hire union members. Today, however, the closed shop is illegal. E. Napp

11. The Agency Shop • An agency shop is a business that does not require workers to join the union but does require all workers to pay union dues. • Even nonunion members must pay union dues to prevent the problem of the free rider. • A free rider is a person who would not pay for a particular service but would nonetheless benefit from the service. E. Napp

12. The White Plains School District is an agency shop. E. Napp

13. While union membership has fluctuated over the years, unions are still important. E. Napp

14. Questions for Reflection: • What is a union and how do unions benefit their members? • List two significant union tactics. Define each tactic. • What is the difference between mediation and arbitration? • How do closed shops, union shops, and agency shops differ? E. Napp