Primer: Labor Unions
In the past year, labor unions have spiked in their coverage in the news. With the writers’ strike that ended recently, the actors’ strike that still continues, and the United Auto Workers’ strike that one Ford executive predicted would fundamentally alter the future of the American automobile industry, labor unions are more and more influential in our modern world. While many people who are pro-labor claim that these unions should grow in this way to better our society and President Biden wants to run the most “pro-labor administration in American history,” detractors have some doubts. Some argue that labor unions harm America and violate people’s right to work. So, with the contentious and pressing topic of labor unions in mind, NU’s Political Union will debate the following resolution.
Labor unions have become too powerful.
Please enjoy the following primer!
The pro side has many compelling arguments. First, they argue that labor unions limit the freedom of workers to choose to be in a union or not. In some jobs, the pro side argues, people are forced to either join a labor union and pay their dues or pay partial dues instead. By forcing people to join/support unions, the freedom of workers is being limited. To combat this, states have enacted right to work laws, forbidding jobs that require someone to join a union to be able to get/keep a job. The laws need to be enacted in order to impede the power that labor unions hold. Next, the pro side argues that unions promote strikes that limit the amount of work that people can do. When a union calls a strike, the productivity of a business dramatically decreases and striking workers do not get paid. The powerful unions try to get what they want at the cost of unpaid workers. Finally, the pro side argues that labor unions can have a negative impact on the quality of work done by workers. One of the most powerful types of unions is the teachers’ union. This system both charges teachers lots of money while not helping students. A study done by the Cato Institute claims that “union strength has a powerful negative effect on student performance.” This could be because teachers’ unions limit the negative consequences teachers can face when they do a mediocre or poor job. By not being able to stop bad teachers, labor unions are hurting students. For all of these reasons, the pro side argues that labor unions have become too powerful.
The con side is also a side to seriously consider. Firstly, the con side argues that labor unions benefit the common worker, especially the middle class. The US Treasury department released a statement claiming that “unions raise the wages of their members by 10 to 15 percent.” The labor unions aren’t helping those who already have a lot of money and power, but are improving the lives of their members. Secondly, the opposition argues that unions are not too powerful because right to work laws are making them less powerful. Because people are not forced to join a union, but still get the benefits when a whole business improves the pay, hours, working conditions, and such for workers, labor unions face declining power. If you could get all of the benefits without any of the costs, why would most people join a union? Relatedly, the con side argues that labor unions are not too powerful because union membership is on a steep decline. According to the BLS, the rate of labor union membership in the past 40 years has halved from ~20% to ~10%. As union membership becomes less and less common, the power that labor unions hold goes down as well.
Please join us for our debate on 10/30 at 7pm at Scott Hall 201!
"Local 10 Amalgamated Ladies Garment Cutters Union, ILGWU, on strike for better working conditions and higher pay in front of First National City Bank. Picketers includes Charles Zimmerman and Luigi Antonini at center front" by Kheel Center, Cornell University Library is licensed under CC BY 2.0.