The most credible explanation for the current condition of labor unions in the United States

在美国，劳资双方的市场化程度和强烈的个人主义，造成雇主与雇员的矛盾始终存在。面对拥有强大生产手段的雇主，单个员工拥有极低的权力。在劳资之间的较量任何抵抗或不满，好像一只螳螂，试图阻止一辆战车。面对如此悬殊对抗，美国工会已经找到了一个合理的存在，逐步发展到一个强大的武器，员工可以团结起来对抗雇主的权威，表达自己的意见，维护合法权益，改变不公平的情况。通过对当前状况和工会的原因分析，接下来我要分析工会与劳资关系管理层之间的关系。

Introduction

In the United of America, there have always been conflicts between employers and employees with high level of labor force marketization and strong individualism. Facing with powerful employers who possess the means of production, an individual employee has an extremely low power. Any resistance or dissatisfaction in the contest between labor and management seems like a mantis that tries to stop a chariot. Confronting with such a wide gap of powers, the US labor unions have found out a rational existence and progressively developed into a powerful weapon that employees can unite together to fight against employers’ authority, voice their own opinions, maintain legal rights and change unfair situations. 

The US labor unions have a long history and play its great important role in the continuous development and change between labor and management (Peterson, 1963). Especially for its major functions, they have played a positive role in performing the collective bargaining, regulating the disputes between labor and management and normalizing the relationship between labor and management. By analyses of current conditions and causes of the labor unions, next I am going to detect the labor unions and relationship between labor and management 

Two manifestations of current conditions of US labor unions

The main manifestations of current conditions of US labor unions are for great numbers and low density (Freeman and Hannan, 1987). In the US, there are about 190 relatively large-scale labor organizations, of which they are labor unions and other employees associations. The union’s numbers in the US are so much more than that in other developed countries, such as there are 110 national labor unions in the US and 17 only in Germany. The main causes for such current condition are for the professionalized labor union and the right of free organization.

What features professionalized labor union is for unions’ jurisdiction’s divide, which is mainly based upon professions. Its organization scales are small, but the main objectives for its activities are for pursuit of higher salary level, welfare benefit and better working conditions. However, since an industrial union is divided against industries, its organization scale is much larger with higher level of organization and of seeking wider range of social benefits that are outside of workplace. Considering of that, the professionalized labor organizations are the main causes of the existence of so many US labor unions. 

As for the right of free organization, the American law regulates that each type of workmen group has the right to set up its own labor organization. The labor union is by self organized and administered. For this reason, any workmen group who has sensed of interests violation and found nowhere to appeal can by law establish a labor union or other types of labor organizations. Thus workmen’s power can be united together to confront the employers’ authority. But what is worthy of stating is that it will not be always legal if labor unions are freely organized by the workmen. Although the workmen group may freely organize their own labor union, one worker can only select a single labor union to represent for him according to limitation of single representative principle. And the scope of jurisdiction for different labor unions cannot be overlapped. Therefore, when a new labor union established, it must submit application to NLRB, named as National Labor Relations Board. The NLRB will approve its application and as well work out its jurisdiction’s divide. Thus the numbers of US labor unions are actually subject to a limitation to a certain extent. 

Speaking of low density of labor union, the numbers of US labor unions are plenty, but the level of member rate is relatively low. In recent years, there has been less than 16% ratio between the union members and the overall labor forces in the US. And the union density of private departments is even lower to 8%. The major reasons come from the American government, the employers and the employees. 

Due to strong individual thoughts that excludes collective acts and poor confidence employees poses to unions for failing operation (Kochan, 1979), the union density in the US is relatively much lower than other developed countries. Meanwhile, what is worthy of noting is that such low density also demonstrate a constantly downward trend. Even though the American unions’ members are increasing gradually, the member rates are decreasing year by year as member’s increase does not catch up with that of working population. Various kinds of reasons may lead to such trend. First, the American industrial structures have changed a lot from the past leading manufacturing to the third industry oriented. The declining manufacturing industries which have enjoyed union high member rates have made the overall union density going down. Second, as foreign enterprises from other developing countries are competing so intensely, the unionized enterprises are forced to control the labor costs and constrain the union development. Third, as the governmental regulations are intensifying protection of employees, some of union’s roles and functions are reduced. Lastly, the incompetency of union has made itself less attracting. 

Conclusion
Concluded from above, the American unions have played a paramount important role in the operation of labor and management. However it has to be confessed that the unions are now facing serious recession. The declining low density of union members has made its functions reducing. So where does the American union go in the ever-changing relationship between labor and management? All we can do is to wait and see. 


References

Freeman John and Hannan Michael T., 1987, ‘The ecology of organization founding: American labor unions’, The American Journal of Sociology, 

Kochan Thomas A., 1979, ‘How American Workers View Labor Unions’, 102 Monthly Lab, Rev. 23

Peterson Florence, 1963, ‘American Labor Unions: What they are and how they work’, Harper & Row (New York), Vol. 2, Pp. 271

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