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 dramatically over the years due to union's 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.

   Another concern with unions is that workers who go on strike may negatively affect the rest of the nation as well. For example, transportation-related unions (e.g., railway, shipping, trucking) have enormous influence on a number of products due to their supply chain issues. 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 who won't benefit from their negotiations.

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

   At the national level, union workers are the minority of the population so why should so few dictate the welfare of everyone else? To correct the problem, organized labor should be banned to prevent its negative influence on the nation's economy which will enable businesses to be more competitive to lower costs on their goods and services.