0 years. There are many reasons for this. The major one is that industries in other countries that are non-union have much cheaper labor costs, and therefore can offer products and materials at a much lower price than our US union-run, high wage cost factories. During the 1970s and 1980s, a fifth of large unionized companies in the United States went bankrupt, unable to compete against companies with lower wage costs. (Rachman, 308)Unions do provide a lot of good services to its members, such as higher wages, better hours, more benefits, and safer working conditions. There is a price to pay for these services, though. Every union requires its members to pay dues, whether they are in the form of a percentage of each paycheck, or a flat rate. The money form dues goes towards lobbying politicians to pass union-friendly legislation, or better labor laws. The money also finances officers in the union organization, who are the ones calling the shots, as far as labor negotiations are concerned.The fact that unions improve working conditions, wages and benefits for their members is not under inquiry. The question is how does it affect the overall picture in America today? The answer to this question is that it only hurts workers. When unions raise wage and benefit demands, they make it impossible for business to compete with foreign firms. This only leads to plant closures, and whole companies shutting down and declaring bankruptcy. In the end unionism only ends up hurting the people it was meant to protect. In my mind, the employers are the ones to blame. If employers worked more on keeping employees happy and well adjusted, then there would be no unions at all. There would be no strikes or shutouts. If managers and CEOs were more aware of what their employees needs are, they would be more ready to meet those needs, and there would be no animosity towards each other....
