Organized Labor

Issue

   Organized labor (unions) allow workers to engage in collective bargaining with companies in order to attain higher pay, better working conditions, and acquire additional benefits. However, is allowing workers the ability to unite and "strong arm" their employers into something against their will that good of a policy?

Solution

   When considering how the demands from unions have contributed to excessive labor costs over the years, certain industries had to take extraordinary steps to insure that their companies were able to remain profitable, or go out of business. Unionized labor have also contributed to the rising cost of products to the degree that some items have become unattainable and no longer affordable for the average consumer.

   For example, the cost of an automobile has dramatically risen over the years and possibly out of reach for some consumers due to the higher wages and benefits imposed by unions. The U.S. auto industry had to consider other measures such as moving jobs overseas or fully automating their plants in order to lower labor costs to stay competitive.

   Even worse is the negative impact that certain unions have had on the nation's overall economy. For example, unions for the railway, shipping, and trucking industries have enormous influence on the supply chain process. If any or all go on strike, it causes a ripple effect on other industries that don't benefit from their particular union's demands. Which causes an unfair amount of influence that a particular union has on the rest of the nation.

   From a legal perspective, union workers who go on strike with the intention to threaten and force companies to comply with their demands (or their businesses will be shutdown), is extortion. Legislation needs to be considered that will allow the Justice Department to file criminal charges against striking workers whose actions compromise the nation's economy.

   There are approximately 15 million union workers in America that has a total population of 340 million. Should so few dictate the welfare of everyone else? Perhaps, if the entire country was allowed to vote on the matter, the situation would be rectified for the sake of ensuring the flow of commerce for the nation.