Organized Labor

Issue

   Organized labor (unions) have allowed workers to engage in collective bargaining agreements to attain higher pay, better working conditions, and receive additional benefits. However, is allowing workers the ability to go on strike and "strong arm" their employers that good of a policy for the nation?

Solution

   Unions have contributed to the rising cost of products to the point that some goods have become unattainable and are no longer affordable for the average consumer. For example, the cost of an automobile has risen over the years due to union demands for higher wages and benefits. Auto companies had to consider alternatives such as moving jobs overseas or automating plants with robotics in order to lower costs and stay competitive with other companies.

   Another concern is that union workers who go on strike may negatively affect the rest of the nation. For example, transportation-related unions (e.g., railway, shipping, trucking) have enormous influence on a wide range of products due to their supply chain needs. If any of these unions go on strike, it causes a cascading effect on other industries that won't directly benefit from the union's negotiations. This causes an unfair amount of influence that a particular union has on the rest of the nation.

   From a legal perspective, workers who go on strike with the intention to threaten companies or their businesses will fail is actually extortion. Legislation should be considered that will allow the Justice Department to file criminal charges against striking workers to prevent this type of behavior that can negatively affect the economy.

   Some may say that unions should exist for the sake of a workers' civil rights, however, workers who go on strike that affect businesses in a negative manner is immoral to say the least. In other words, workers have the right to find a job elsewhere if they are not satisfied, however, they do not have the right to intentionally hinder the business itself (which is criminal).

   In a pure democracy that will no longer be influenced by corrupt officials, voters will need to decide if union workers (who are the minority of the population) should dictate the welfare of everyone else, or if unions should be banned in their entirety.