Unions were tremendously successful in the late 19th and early 20th centuries be

Question

Unions were tremendously successful in the late 19th and early 20th centuries because many manufacturing workers were low-skilled and spent most if not all of their working lives in a single manufacturing plant and with the same company. Today, the American economy is far more knowledge-based. Think about what compensation strategy would prove more effective today: the incentive-based, more knowledgeable worker, or the lower wage-base with more self-service? Based on what approach you choose, how would organized labor be affected? Is a knowledge-based economy yet another reason why unions continue to witness reduced membership in the United States?

Explanation / Answer

The types of workers that unions target for membership is likely to

adjust to currently happening changes in the workforce. This will probably

happen in two ways. Firstly, the general demographic changes

that are resulting in a more diverse workforce are likely to cause

unions to focus more and more on recruiting women and ethnic

and cultural minorities. Next, the decline in the types of

manufacturing and heavy industrial jobs that characterized the

work of the typical union member of the past is now giving way to jobs

in the service sector, a change that has already impacted union

strategies and will continue to do so. A shift to more aggressive

organizing tactics that closely target key worker demographic

groups such as women, young people and racial or ethnic

minorities and job types such as service workers, knowledge

workers and temporary workers may thus be one of the primary

results of the U.S. union split

The contested terrain of the employment relationship has undergone a lot of change since the 1970s. The change from a pluralist viewpoint to a more a less unitarist view has been accompanied by the introduction of HRM, a resurgence of the management prerogative and a more individual approach to employee relations. Faced with the loss of membership and impact trade unions have adopted several different strategies,

including partnership agreements and the ‘organising model’ to remain relevant in the modern

workplace

Related Questions

Navigate

• Browse (All)
• Browse U
• Subjects

Integrity-first tutoring: explanations and feedback only — we do not complete graded work. Learn more.