Overall Percent of Union Membership -- United States
35
30
25
20
20.1%
14.5%
15
12.5%
10
5
0
1983
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics
1996
2005
Union Membership By Certain Industries
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics: http://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/1999/jul/wk3/art04.htm
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics:
http://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/union2.pdf#search=%22union%20membership%20by%20state%202005%22
Union Membership of 14 European Countries
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics:
http://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2006/01/art3full.pdf#search=%22percent%20union%20membership%20by%20countries%22
Selected List of Labor Unions
American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO)
American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees
Amalgamated Transit Union
American Postal Workers Union
Association of Flight Attendants
Communication Workers of America
International Association of Machinists
International Brotherhood of Boilermakers
National Education Association
Screen Actors Guild
United Auto Workers
United Farm Workers
United Mine Workers
United Steel Workers
Reasons for Union Formation
• Economic factors (e.g., pay, promotion opportunity)
• Supervision (behavior, attitude, interpersonal style, unfair
treatment)
• Safety concerns
Overview of How Unions Form
Campaign (sign cards to
endorse an election or not
[overseen by
representative of NLRB]
Greater 30%
required for
election
Election
Majority of
members of in
bargaining vote
“yes” required for
union to be formed
Union
Labor Contract --- A formal, written agreement between union and the company
regarding the conditions of employment (e.g., pay, benefits, grievance process,
performance assessment) over a given period of time
Collective Bargaining
Mediation --- Assist, facilitate an agreement between parties [share
information]. No formal power to impose a decision
Federal Mediation & Conciliation Service
Fact-Finding --- More formal process.
1) Review relevant facts on the issues
2) Make formal recommendation
3) Make recommendation public
Not used very often, most successful in private sector
Collective Bargaining (cont.)
Arbitration --- Final and binding decision [American Arbitration Association]
Arbitration types: Type used if determined by law in the public sector, by
agreement in private sector.
Voluntary – Agreed upon by both parties (most common in private sector)
Compulsory – Mandated by law (common in public sector)
Conventional --- Arbitrator decides on best solution; often a compromise between
opposing positions
Final Offer -- Choose one position or the other
Total package vs. Issue by issue
Sample Grievance Procedure
Step
Management
Union
Form
Mgmt.
Answer
Written
20 Days
20 Days
10 Days
Arbitration
5
Union
Appeal
4
Industrial Relations
Manager
Grievance
Committee
Written
10 Days
3
Division Manager
Chief Steward
Written
5 Days
5 Days
2
Industrial Relations
Manager
Shop Steward
Written
5 Days
5 Days
Grievant
Oral
1
Industrial Relations
Manager
Issue in Dispute
Immediate
Immediate
Factors Impacting Grievances
• Employee characteristics
More education
Greater activity in union
More absenteeism
More likely to file grievances
Lower wages
• Shop steward characteristics (e.g., Personality; more dominant = more likely to
file a grievance)
• Type of work/job performed
Not related to number of grievances filed but to type of grievance filed
Impasse
(failure of collective bargaining process)
Union options used --
• Work slow down
• Absenteeism (“blue flu”)
• Sabotage
• Strike (legitimate or “wildcat” strike)
Management options used -• Lockout
Union Impact
Selection (e.g., applicant pool, process)
Training (e.g., apprentice programs)
Performance Evaluation (e.g., factors to be evaluated,
frequency)
Job Performance (e.g., scheduling of work, speed of
production, type of work allowed)
Some Influential Labor Leaders
Mary Harris (Mother
Jones) 1830-1930
United Mine Workers
of America
Samuel Gompers 1850-1924
American Federation of
Labor
Eugene Debs 1855-1926
American Railway Union
Pauline Newman 1890-1986
International Ladies’
Garment Workers’ Union
Frances Perkins 1882-1965
Secretary of Labor
Walter Reuther 1907-1970
United Auto Wokers
Cesar Chavez 1927-1993
American Farm Workers
Union
Albert Shanker 19281997 American
Federation of Teachers
Some Key Events in U.S. Labor History
Date
Event
April 27, 1825
First strike for the 10-hour work-day by carpenters in Boston
July 3, 1835
Children at a silk mills company (Paterson, NJ) go on strike for 11 hr. days/6 days week
January 13,1874
Tompkins Square Riot (Demonstration of unemployed workers. Police beat
demonstrators causing over 100 casualties)
June 21, 1877
10 coal miners (The "Molly Maguires") hanged
July 14, 1877
National railroad strike. Federal troops called in to end strike. In Chicago ("Battle of
the Viaduct“) 30 workers killed over 100 injured
September 5, 1882
1st celebration of Labor Day (New York City)
September 10,
1897
Lattimer Massacre. Striking coal miners marched in protest of oor mine conditions.
19 miners killed, 50 or more wounded
May 1886
Haymarket Protests/Riots [see http://www.chicagohistory.org/dramas/overview/over.htm]
Day after police killed 2 protestors, a bomb thrown in Haymarket Square killed 7 police.
Eight people found guilty of murder; 4 executed on 11/11/1887. Impetus for May Day
(May 1st) as the International Workers’ holiday
April 20, 1914
"Ludlow Massacre" State Militia, in response to a strike at the Ludlow Mine Field,
attack a union camp with machine guns and set tents on fire. 5 men, 2 women, and 12
children killed
May 19, 1920
Battle of Matewan
August 3, 1981
Federal air traffic controllers began nationwide strike. Majority of 13,000 controllers
who ignored back-to-work order fired by Ronald Reagan
October 6, 1986
Female flight attendants (1,700) won an 18-year lawsuit (including $37 million in
damages) against United Airlines, which fired them for getting married
Law
List of Major Labor Laws
Main Feature
Railway Labor Act (RLA),
1926
Required companies to bargain collectively, prohibited discrimination against
unions
Davis-Bacon Act, 1931
Construction contracts with the Federal Gov’t need to specify the minimum
wage to be paid
Norris-LaGuardia Act, 1932
Guaranteed labor unions the right to organize, strike, and use other economic
leverage in negotiations with management
National Labor Relations
Act (NLRA), 1935 (Wagner
Act)
Guaranteed the right to organize, join labor unions, choose representatives,
collective bargain, and strike
National Labor
Relations Board (NLRB)
established
Independent Federal agency to enforce violations by organizations: a)
interfering with formation of labor unions, b) hampering employees in
organizing/collective bargaining, c) imposition of employment conditions to
discourage union membership, d) discriminating against employees filing
charges under the NLRA, and e) refusing to submit to collective bargaining
Anti-Strikebreaker Law
(Byrnes Act), 1936
Illegal to employ those to use force/threats against non-violent labor disputes,
organizing, or bargaining
Walsh-Healy Act, 1936
Guaranteed pay of not less than the "prevailing minimum wage" paid in a
locality; restricted regular working hours to 8 hrs./day & 40 hrs./wk., timeand-a-half pay for additional hours; prohibited employment of convicts and
children under 18, established sanitation and safety standards
Fair Labor Standards
Act (FLSA), 1938
Established minimum wages and maximum hours for workers. Established
minimum ages of employment and hours of work for children
Taft-Hartley Act, 1947
Set process to delay/avert "national emergency" strikes; prohibited supervisory
employees from coverage of Wagner Act; prohibited "closed shops"
Child Labor
1836 -- National Trades’ Union Convention make the first formal proposal for
states to establish minimum ages for factory work
1836-- 1st state child labor law. Massachusetts mandates children less than 15
working in factories to attend school at least 3 months a year
1876 -- Working Men’s Party proposes abolishing the employment of children
under the age of 14
1881 -- American Federation of Labor passes a resolution for states to ban
children under 14 from employment
1904 -- National Child Labor Committee forms to campaign for federal child
labor law reform
Bibb Mill, Macon, GA.
1936 -- Walsh-Healey Act passed. U.S. government will not purchase goods
made by underage children
1938 -- Fair Labor Standards Act. Minimum ages of employment and hours of
work for children regulated by federal law
11 year old girl.
Rhodes
Manufacturing
Co. N.C.
Photos by Lewis Hine. See
http://www.historyplace.com/unitedstates/childlabor/index.
html
Hughestown Borough Coal Co. Pittston, PA