1. Business in America: Labor

2.  Since 1970, the size of the labor force has doubled.  In those years, the number of workers belonging to a labor union has fallen.  A labor union is an organization of workers that seek to improve the wages and working conditions of its members.  In the early 1970s, about 1 of every four workers belonged to a union.  Today one in eight is a union member.  One reason for the shift in union membership is the shift from manufacturing jobs to service jobs.  Traditionally fewer workers in service jobs have been union members.  Workers in many important jobs and industries belong to unions.  Large numbers of coal miners, airplane pilots, and truck drivers are union members.  Unions have seen gains where teachers and gov`t. employees work.

3.  There are two types of Unions.  A union where all members work at the same craft are called trade unions.  Examples are unions formed by bakers and by printers.  A union that brings together skilled and unskilled workers from the same industry is called an industrial union.  An industrial union might have electricians, carpenters, and laborers who work together to manufacture a product.  An example is the United Auto Workers (UAW).  IN the past they were mostly formed by industrial workers.  Today, even actors and professional athletes have unions.  Another change is the growth in the number of government workers who are union members.  About 1.6 million of these workers belong to the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME).  Prison guards, garbage collectors, and school nurses are part of this union.

4.  The basic unit of each union is the local.  A local consist of all members of a particular union who work in one factory, one company, or one geographical area.  All of a union`s locals together form a national union.  Many national unions belong to the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations, or AFL-CIO.  This union is the largest in the country.  12 million members, the second largest is Change to win, with about 5.5 Members.

5.  Employees in the work place can not form a union unless a majority of them vote in favor of it.  An agency of the federal government, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), makes sure that these elections are carried out fairly and honesty.  A common way unions organize a workplace is with a union shop.  Nearly half the states have the right to work laws, which ban unions.  Other states have what is called a modified union shop.  In this circumstance, or situation, a worker does not have to join a union.

6.  When a company`s workers have a union, the union and the company carry out collective bargaining.  In this process, officials from the union and the company meet to discuss the workers` contract.  The contract sets the terms for working at the company.  These talks often focus on wages and benefits.  With most contracts, the two sides reach agreement during the bargaining.

7.  One method unions use to is to call a strike.  In a strike, all union members refuse to work.  Striking workers usually stand in public view carrying signs stating they are on strike.  This tactic is called picketing.  The goals are to embarrass the company and to build public support for the strike.  Another tool is to boycott the company.  This is meant to financially hurt the company.

8.  The employers strongest tool is the lock out.  In a lockout, the employer hope that the loss of income will force workers to accept company terms.  During the lockout, the company often hires replacement workers so it can continue to do business.  Companies may try to stop union actions by asking for an injunction.  An injunction is a legal order from a court to prevent some activity.  The company may ask the court to limit picketing or to prevent or stop a strike.

9.  When the parties can not agree on a contract, they have other options, or choices.  They can try mediation.  In this approach, they bring in a third party who tries to help them reach an agreement.  They can also choose arbitration.  With this method, the third party listens to both sides and the decides how to settle the dispute.  Both parties agree in advance to accept the third party`s decision.  If a strike threatens the nations welfare, the government can step in.  Federal law allows the president to order a cooling off period.  The cooling off period lasts for 80 days.  If there is no agreement after that time, the workers have the right to go back on strike.  Ina n extreme situation, the government can take over a company or an industry temporarily.