Does America Need Labor Unions Today - 2811 Words

Alyssa Barker Sharon Kelly English 102 Section 401 November 24, 2012 Does America Need Labor Unions Today? President John F. Kennedy once said, â€Å"The American Labor Movement has consistently demonstrated its devotion to the public interest. It is, and has been, good for all Americans.† Organized labor has a goal of helping workers get what they deserve in all aspects of their jobs such as salary, benefits, hours, working conditions, and so on. There are†¦show more content†¦They had to remain neutral. But unfortunately, this is only in an ideal world. According to Pamela Prah, another reason workers are not seeking involvement in unions is that they are afraid of losing their jobs. In her article about the future of labor unions, Prah quotes Carol Pier, a labor rights and trade researcher for the Human Rights Watch, as saying, â€Å"U.S. labor laws contain weak penalties, are riddled with loopholes and are not effectively enforced.† This means that employers who fire workers for joining unions could either get away with it or only have to face a weak penalty. There has been a recent controversy over wrongful termination involving the retail giant, Walmart. Walmart is known for openly avoiding union organization and they have been accused of strategically firing union members throughout the country (Vrba). Walmart denies firing workers because of union involvement but the case will eventually go to court (Vrba). In cases such as this, workers could unjustly lose their jobs and so this prevents workers from acting and joining a union. It is easy to see why companies do not want their workers to join unions. If workers join a labor union, the company will be split in half: the union vs the employer. Companies may be forced to change the way they run the things such as how much they pay their employees, how many benefits they have to provide, the safety requirements for theShow MoreRelatedEssay on Unions, Bad for America685 Words   |  3 PagesUnionism, Bad for America Unionism is the concept that traditionally business, especially big businesses are inherently going to exploit their employees. Therefore, in order to protect themselves, the workers form organizations called unions, in which all laborers who work at a certain craft, or in a certain industry band together. By this process of â€Å"joining forces†, the unions gain power in numbers. 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