The Origins Comprising the Early 1800s and Prior
The first labor strike of labor unions in the USA was established in New York in 1768 when tailors protested against a wage reduction. The first trade union for workers in America was formed in 1794 in the state of Philadelphia. Workers demanded the abolition of child labor, shorter working hours, and fair wages (History.com Editors, 2009). Although, there was no primary legislation for workers’ unions passed in the early 1800s.
The Early Labor Movement in the period between the mid-1800s and 1900
During this period, it became clear that workers’ interests and protections were essential. This move helped set the foundation for offering retirement benefits, giving workers aid, health benefits, and aid to end child labor. The major US labor organization then was known as The Knight of Labor and was formed in 1869. This organization has many people. Therefore, the organization aimed to obtain an 8-hour work day and improve its members’ working conditions (Khan Academy, 2022). The National Trade Unions instead wanted to maintain their original reforms objectives since they felt that the Knights’ Labor proposals would make them inferior. However, these objective differences led the Knights of Labor to merge with the American Federation of labor in 1886. The newly formed federation aimed to propose new reforms to abolish discrimination issues since, during this time, workplaces were dominated by white males. The American Federation of Labor (AFL) allowed female and colored employees to join job ranks in 1895. Although, this Act never recognized employees of the Caucasian race.
The Changing of the Labor Movement from 1900 to 1950
During this period, the first and second world wars took place. During this time, fewer than twelve million workers joined various unions. Therefore, wage negotiation and other employment conditions took shape in all sectors. For instance, in 1938, the Fair Labor Standards Act was passed, which brought up changes that helped every employee in the US. This Act included overtime pay, minimum wage, abolished child labor, and forty working hours per week. In the 1930s and 1940s, United States employees were not limited to negotiating health benefits with their employers (Union Plus, 2022).
The Wagner Act, also known as National Labor Relations Act, was passed in 1935. This Act changed the reaction of employers towards the union’s aspects. The Act enforced that employers allow their employees to have freedom of association and not to interfere with employees who form workers’ unions. Moreover, employers should not discriminate against employees who file charges or those who took part in a union.
The Decline of Union Membership from 1950 to 2000
During this period, union membership declined due to various factors, including corruption and poor management, and unions started to display a poor public image by being ineffective. In addition, the US economy suffered from a financial crisis after the end of the second world war. It made it difficult for unions to continue negotiating employee benefits. Moreover, some employees considered retaining their money to support their lifestyle instead of paying unions (Visser, 2019).
Present Day Unions from 2000 to Present Day
In current days unions are still vital in workplaces. Employees find it necessary to pay dues to unions since unions work towards their well-being goals, such as incrementing employees’ and their family’s benefits, ensuring employees have safe working conditions and raising their living standards. Labor unions push employers to fulfill these goals. Through unions, employees can have the bargaining power to negotiate for their interests (Economic Policy Institute, 2017).
