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Labor Unions and the Employee Free Choice Act, 6/1/09
Overview:
Congressional debate over the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA)—referred to by some as “Card Check”—is focusing attention upon Federal Labor Laws in the US. Join Active Minds® as we trace the history of the labor movement in America. We will examine labor's origins as well as key struggles along the way and conclude with an analysis of the heated debate over EFCA.
Key Lecture Points:
• The Employee Free Choice Act (sometimes referred to as “Card Check”) is a bill that would amend the National Labor Relations Act to, among other things, make it easier for unions to organize employees and require binding arbitration in certain situations. The bill had majority support in the House of Representatives in 2007, but was defeated by a Republican filibuster in the Senate. Now, in 2009, Congress appears poised to take up the legislation again.
• The Debate over EFCA is the latest chapter in the long and often tempestuous relationship between organized labor and management in the US. Labor unions first appeared in the form of guilds of craftspeople in colonial America. As the US transformed from an agrarian economy with a tiny manufacturing base to an industrial giant over the course of the 19th century, the labor union movement would also transform itself. American workers not only demanded the right to unionize, but also demanded shorter working days and safer conditions. The 1886 creation of the American Federation of Labor (AFL) by Samuel Gompers is one highlight of this movement.
• Although workers became more insistent in their demands, business did not capitulate immediately. Initially, governments in the US took the side of management and responded to labor strikes and protests in the late 19th century forcibly, using the military if necessary. It was only after the Great Depression that the federal government began to safeguard the right to unionize and require employers to bargain with unions.
• The “golden age” of labor unionism in the US occurred in the post-WWII era. By the late 1950s, 1/3 of American non-farm workers belonged to a union. While this towers above today’s 16 million-person union workforce (12% of the total workforce), it pales in comparison to the union membership rates of other Western nations.
• Today, unions are struggling to stay relevant in the era of globalization. As America’s job base shifts from an industrial base to a service sector base, unions have had difficulty maintaining their numbers. As a result, in the last two decades union membership has shifted significantly from the private sector to the public sector. Overall, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2008, 36.8% of US public sector employees were union members, whereas only 7.6% of private sector workers were.
Exploration Questions:
• What have been the causes for the reduction in the size and influence of labor unions in the United States?
• In your opinion, have unions benefited the United States? Explain your reasoning.
• Do you feel that the Employee Free Choice Act is or is not good law? Explain your reasoning.
Reflective Questions:
• Were you ever a member of a union? If so, what was your experience?
• Unions have often been the spotlight of Hollywood portrayals, such as On the Waterfront. Can you think of other movies that cover the issue of Labor either in a positive or negative light?
More to Explore:
• Labor union history: www.uwstout.edu
• AFL-CIO (in favor of EFCA): www.aflcio.org
• Heritage Foundation (in opposition): www.heritage.org
Books For Further Reading:
• Dine, Phillip N. State of the Unions: How Labor Can Strengthen the Middle Class, Improve our Economy and Regain Political Influence. McGraw-Hill, 2007. 276 pages. Told by an investigative reporter, this is a biased account of labor’s potential role in the US. Contrary to the current orthodoxy that labor unions hurt the national economy, Dine argues that they can make it stronger. Click here to order.
• Moreno, Paul D. Black Americans and Organized Labor: A New History. Louisiana State University Press, forthcoming. 352 pages. Stretching from the pre Civil War era to the present, this rather academic reading tells the history and role of race and racial discrimination in the American labor movement. Click here to order.
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