Are Unions Necessary?

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2012/06/are-unions-necessary/258356/

Jun 11 2012, 2:42 PM ET 181

Organized labor hasn't been this scarce in the U.S. since FDR was president. Is that the real source of the middle class' woes? Is the problem worth trying to fix? This is your turn to tell us.



It hasn't been a good week for unions in America. Actually, it hasn't been a good half-century for them, either.

Six days ago in Wisconsin, Gov. Scott Walker won reelection after he championed bold steps to curb the power of organized labor. Meanwhile, in California, voters in San Diego and San Jose approved plans to cut benefits for new hires and old workers in public unions. These votes didn't announce a new trend. They reminded us of a very old one.

With the 30 year-decline of manufacturing employment, union membership has fallen to its lowest rate since the 1930s. At the same time, the middle class' share of total income has slipped below 50% ... and kept falling. A graph (like the one below) can only prove correlation, not causation. But some economists suggest that the erosion of union membership is one of the most important factors in explaining the demise of the middle class.



The red ski slope line is lamentable. But was it inevitable? According to a new study I reported on last week, "The Rise and Fall of U.S. Unions," by Emin M. Dinlersoz and Jeremy Greenwood, technological innovation both gave life to our unions and helped to destroy them. Here's how that worked: In the early 20th century, manufacturing technology turned workers into specialized cogs. Union membership accelerated among the unskilled workers, who were suddenly crucial and irreplaceable actors in the assembly line economy. But in the next technology revolution, unskilled workers lost their monopoly to overseas laborers and machines, and IT gave preference to skilled workers. As a result, many unions lost their effectiveness and appeal, and financial returns flowed away from this middle class. Once again, all cliches about correlation and causation aside, this graph suggests a strong relationship between union membership (blue) and income inequality (green-dotted).



FULL story at link.

[peacebird]

1. If there was a union for me I would join immediately

[limpyhobbler]

2. you bet.

We can't reverse this trend with just laws and politics, even though obviously laws are important.

The trend in the graph parallels the loss of manufacturing jobs being replaced by crappy fast food jobs, walmart jobs and temp agency workers, and stuff like that.

Those workplaces ought to be the focus for organizing. That's where the fight is.

The "labor movement" can't just be about defending the gains made by our grandparents or parents. If we don't organize new workers in traditionally non-union service jobs, things are going to keep getting worse. Just my 2 cents.

[GMR Transcription]

3. Importance of Union in an organisation

Hi,
As per my view the term Union has a very important impact on the society as a whole.They are playing a very influential role in supporting the working class especially in America and else where countries.They are the one who protect the rights of the worker's involved. Usually big organisations are least concerned about the workers; they rather concentrate more on the profit maximization.There is always a clause that if the Union tries to stand for the rights of the workers , than they might can loose their existence entirely.





Thank you once again..

And keep on posting such an information.

[hay rick]

4. Unions are vital.

Unions are imperfect organizations, but they are vastly superior to all the current alternatives.

I would love to live in a society in which unions were irrelevant because the needs they currently address were already met by other means. Sadly, we are very far from that point and getting farther away from that point every day.

A society with a reduced need for unions would have to have universal health care, a national living wage, and some kind of guaranteed employment or income. In that Panglossian situation, unions remaining vital function would be mainly workplace representation.

We have a lot of work to do.

[Rochester]

5. K. & R.

[rDigital]

6. I believe that a lack of unionism in the US will lead us down a dark road of wealth inequity. nt