MN7181-strike as a weapon of collective bargaining-Blog 04

Unions are important because they help set standards for education, talent level, salary, working conditions, and quality of life for workers. Union bargaining wages and benefits are higher than those of what non-union workers receive.

The unions negotiate good and fair contracts, give us a good picture of our work and give us many benefits (Knox, 2002).

Here are some of the jobs in the industry with most union workers.
• Utilities
• Transportation
• Telecommunications
• Construction
• Educational Services
• Motion Pictures and Sound Recording
• Manufacturing


And also unions are dangerous because they act as monopolies. If union members won't work, the law makes it very difficult for anyone else to come in and do their jobs. As a result, union workers have little competition - so they can demand higher wages and do less work (Lott, 2011).

(Figure 1: Union Strike)

An official strike is a work stop that is approved by the union and complies with the requirements of the strike law, as the majority of union members choose. Officials conducting official strikes are well protected from being fired by job. The official strike is usually carried out by workers in response to grievances. An official strike may also be called an official industrial event, a strike action or a strike (Kenton, 2018)

(Video 1: Top 10 Labor Strikes In US History)

It is difficult to say when the first labor strike occurred. The word "strike" was first used in the 1700s and surely comes from the idea of a businessman on strike. In 1786, a group of Philadelphia printers called for a raise and the company declined. They stopped working in protest and eventually received a raise. After that everyone in a city practicing the same profession agreed to set prices and wages at the same rate.
To strike today, you must have union. Workers form unions because single workers have no control over their employers, which can set low wages and long working hours as long as they comply with labor laws. When workers unite to form a union, they collectively have enough power to negotiate with their employer. The main weapon the union has against the employer is the threat of strike.
At its most basic level, a strike occurs when all the workers in the union stop coming to work. With no workers, the business shuts down. The employer stops making money, though it is still spending money on taxes, rent, electricity and maintenance. The longer the strike lasts, the more money the employer loses.
In order for a strike to take place, union leadership must call for strike action. They will not call a strike unless union members have voted. Each union has different rules governing what percentage of the union must approve the strike.
Of course, a strike doesn't happen every time a union member and the employer have a disagreement. For minor matters, the union can file a grievance (following a set procedure included in the contract between the union and the employer). When it is time to renegotiate a contract, both sides will usually sit down and try to come to an agreement. Unions try to exhaust all other measures before resorting to a strike for two reasons: union members usually lose money and it's the last thing that unions can do to get employers to agree to their terms.
That is a strike doesn't happen every time a union member and the employer have a disagreement. For minor matters, the union may file a grievance (after drawing up the procedures involved in the contract between the union and the employer). When it's time to negotiate a deal, the two parties will usually sit down and try to reach an agreement. Unions try to exhaust all other measures before resorting to a strike for two reasons: union members usually lose money and it's the last thing that unions can do to get employers to agree to their terms.

References

• Knox,R.(2002).'What is a Union', Available at https://www.unionplus.org/page/what-union[Accessed 13 September 2019].

• Kenton,W.(2018).'Official strike', Available at https://www.investopedia.com/terms/o/official-strike.asp[Accessed 13 September 2019].

• Lott,J.(2011).'Why Union are harmful to workers', Available at https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/why-unions-are-harmful-to-workers[Accessed 13 September 2019].

• Figure 1: Lanka Information, (2017) Postal Trade Union strike to continue till solutions are provided, [Online] Available at : https://lankainformation.lk/news/latest-news/item/15948-postal-trade-union-strike-to-continue-till-solutions-are-provided [Accessed 13 September 2019]. 

• Video 1: Top 10 Labor Strikes In US History. [Online] Available at:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xgd7_K5pCCU [Accessed 13 September 2019].