1. Labor Unions
Unit 7, Day 3

2. Opener: 9/24/18
Labor unions are groups of workers who band together to have a better chance to obtain higher pay and better working conditions.
right-to-work laws, which prevent unions from forcing workers to join.
mediation, in which a third party tries to help them reach an agreement.
Arbitration -A third party listens to both sides and decides on a settlement
Strike -in which all workers in the union refuse to work.
lockout, in which the company blocks workers from entering.

3. Organized Labor
Labor unions are groups of workers who band together to have a better chance to obtain higher pay and better working conditions.
Workers who perform the same skills join a craft or trade union.
Industrial unions bring together workers who belong to the same industry.
Organized labor has three levels: local, national or international.

4. Organized Labor (cont.)
A local union is made up of workers in a factory, company, or geographic area.
It negotiates a contract with a company and monitors the contract’s terms.

5. Organized Labor (cont.)
National unions are the individual craft or industrial unions that represent local unions nationwide.
Those with members in Canada or Mexico are international unions.
National unions help employees set up local unions and negotiate contracts.
In certain industries, the national union negotiates the contracts for the entire industry.

6. Organized Labor (cont.)
TYPES OF UNIONS
In the past some unions supported the closed shop.
A worker would have to belong to the union to be hired.
The Taft-Hartley Act of 1947 passed under President Truman banned most closed shops.

7. Organized Labor (cont.)
When the government passed the Taft Hartley Act in 1947, closed shops became illegal for any company that makes goods that are sold in states other than the state in which the company is located.
Since most businesses make goods for interstate sales, there are few closed shops today.

8. Organized Labor (cont.)
The union shop is more common.
Companies can hire nonunion workers, but the workers must join the union once they begin work.
One part of the Taft-Hartley Act allows state governments to ban union shops.
Twenty-eight states have passed right-to-work laws, which prevent unions from forcing workers to join.

9. Organized Labor (cont.)
Workers in a modified union shop do not have to join the union.
If they choose to join, they must stay in the union as long as they work for that employer.
A majority of workers must vote in favor of a union before one can be formed.
The National Labor Relations Board makes sure union votes are carried out honestly.

10. Why Do We Have Unions? Historically, there are many, many reasons…
Consider this… a hundred years ago you would be expected to work at least 10 hours days, 6 days a week for pennies an hour… sound like fun?

11. Negotiations
Under collective bargaining, union and company representatives meet to discuss the terms of the workers’ new contract when the old one nears its end.
Negotiations focus on wages, benefits, work hours, and work rules.

12. Negotiations (cont.)
If the two sides cannot agree on terms, they might try mediation, in which a third party tries to help them reach an agreement.
In some cases, they choose arbitration.
A third party listens to both sides and decides on a settlement.
Both parties agree in advance to accept the arbitrator’s decision.

13. Negotiations (cont.)
To pressure management to accept their position, workers can call a strike, in which all workers in the union refuse to work.
Strikers often picket the business, marching in front of company buildings while holding signs.
If striking doesn’t work, unions can encourage people to boycott, or refuse to buy, the company’s products.

14. Negotiations (cont.)
Management can stage a lockout, in which the company blocks workers from entering.
Management hopes lost wages will pressure workers to accept its terms.

15. Homestead Strike