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Equal Rights In The Work Place

Running head: LABOR RELATIONS PAPER

Labor Relations Paper



Labor Relations Paper
It is a powerful word of much controversy and depending on what side you favor positive and negative outlooks. Union by definition means two or more things joined into one, such as an organiazation of multiple people or organizations, multiple objects combined into one, and so on. It can be political in nature, sports inspired, educational or social. All meaning the same thing, by and large, there is a need to work and act together in negeotiation for the greater good of many.
Labor unions are the negotiators and watchdogs for the American workforce. A means of collectively bargaining with employers for fair wages and decent working conditions, labor unions are organized into two types: craft unions (skilled laborers) and industrial unions (laborers in the same industry, regardless of skill).The unions origin can be traced back to the medevil days of guilds that protected the worker during illness and funeral expense and guided workers from apprentice, to craftsman, to journeyman. Here we can see the remains of the guilds in todays unions. Unions are to protect a group of workers or organizations in wage bargaining, benefits, working conditions and such. The use of these unions have run the gambit of popularity in America and abroad. One of the biggest impacts came from AFL. The American Federation of Labor was founded by Samuel Gompers. By 1904, AFL-affiliated unions had a membership of over 1.4 million nationwide. Under Gompers' leadership, the AFL advocated an approach known as "business" or "pure and simple" unionism, which emphasized collective bargaining to reach its goals. (gompers, 1925) Demands were centered around improvements to the immediate work environment, like better wages, hours and working conditions. It is this example most unions are following today which is a pretty good example to follow. It was these unions that waqs the reason behind National Labor...