ck up the cost regardless of circumstance. An argument can be made that the unions, by increasing wages, is at the same time taking non wage benefits away from there workers. Working Conditions One of the primary reasons Unions were formed was the need to protect workers from unsafe, unsanitary, hostile working conditions. With the ever increasing regulatory nature of Federal, State and Local government, this need has been removed. Federal laws dictate wages, such as the minimum wage law, OT compensation. The Fair Labor Standards Act, dictates payment for many workers beyond the 40 hour per week. Safety concerns in the work place are regulated and inspected by OSHA. Currently OSHA inspect millions of work places each year and levies fines against companies who fail to follow federal guidelines. Many would have you believe the vast amount of government regulation concerning wages, benefits and working conditions, has made the need for unions obsolete. Goals Jonathan P. Hiatt General Council of the AFL/CIO states in his article for the AFL/CIO news, Union Survival for the Twenty-First Century, "the labor movement must develop strategies that respond to two trends which together are wreaking havoc on the lives of working men and women." ( 1 ) The trends he speaks of are the ever increasing gap between the high paid skilled worker and the low paid labor. The latter comprises most of our work force and is the lower educated members of society. The second trend is the trend to hire what is perceived as a temporary work force. It is the goal of unions of this nation to organize and represent these temp workers. They are viewing the hiring of these " peripheral workers " as a company ploy to exploit American workers. Trade unionism in America is committed to continuing its role as a bargaining agent for "core" workers while it seeks to organize this new temp worker. Management's long term goals must be to guide American industry into the Global...
