Labor Unions and Their Decline Term Paper

Total Length: 2227 words ( 7 double-spaced pages)

Total Sources: 1+

Page 1 of 7

From this perspective, right-to-work laws are passed in states in which public opinion is anti- union and the labor movement is politically ineffective; in such states, employees are less attracted to unions, and it is this public opinion climate, rather than the legislation itself, that harms union growth (Abraham & Voost 2000).

The National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation; Bureau of National Affairs (2002), reports that New Jersey does not have right-to-work laws as shown in the graph in Table 1 below, comparing this state with two of its Middle Atlantic neighbors.

Middle Atlantic States and Right-to-Work Laws

State

Right to Work (Yes/No)

Union in Private Sector

New Jersey

New York

Pennsylvania

Table 1. Comparison of Middle Atlantic States' Right-to-Work Laws. Source: Middle Atlantic Right to Work States National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation; Bureau of National Affairs, 2002.

Similarities between Conflict Theorists and Functional Theorists in the Discussion of Labor Unions. Conflict theorists believe that in the past, the struggle between races and classes has determined the course of human history, and that all industrial societies will exhibit a similar conflict between managers and the managed (Bottomore & Nisbet 1978).
By contrast, functional theorists have always tried to provide an account of institutional organization and change based on the relations between motives, reasons, and purposes (Bottomore & Nisbet 1978). Both functional and conflict theorists believe that there are certain universal functional and organizational imperatives that produce essentially similar patterns of occupational inequality across all complex societies (Milner 1987).

Conclusion

The research showed that labor unions arose in response to the increasingly harsh working conditions that followed the rapid industrialization of the United Kingdom and the United States. After several decades of growth, though, labor unions began to experience a decline in membership during the 1980s that has continued to the present. The reasons for this decline have been variously attributed to shifts in the social contract, high unemployment and inflation rates, and increasingly negative perceptions of unions among others. In the final analysis, the days of the labor union may well be numbered in some industries, but for those developing countries that lack the fundamental legal employee protections that exist in most industrialized countries, the need for labor unions will likely continue for years to come.

Works.....

Show More ⇣


     Open the full completed essay and source list


OR

     Order a one-of-a-kind custom essay on this topic


sample essay writing service

Cite This Resource:

Latest APA Format (6th edition)

Copy Reference
"Labor Unions And Their Decline" (2004, November 22) Retrieved April 27, 2024, from
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/labor-unions-decline-59069

Latest MLA Format (8th edition)

Copy Reference
"Labor Unions And Their Decline" 22 November 2004. Web.27 April. 2024. <
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/labor-unions-decline-59069>

Latest Chicago Format (16th edition)

Copy Reference
"Labor Unions And Their Decline", 22 November 2004, Accessed.27 April. 2024,
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/labor-unions-decline-59069