Do you believe labor unions help or hurt the economy?

Part 1

Do you believe labor unions help or hurt the economy?

Instructions: There are numerous examples related to this issue. Find an example and relate your discussion to it. Be respectful to each other even if you happen to disagree.

Part 2
Respond to one peer response with a qualitative opinion.

(peers response)

The original notion of labor unions was ideal during its conception, standing for the concepts of freedom and equality for all workers. With no checks to their power, these corrupt businesses were free to treat workers poorly in the pursuit of more profit and productivity. During the industrial revolution, labor unions represented a chance at a decent life with an honest paycheck, ensuring that wealthy corporate businesses prioritized safe working conditions and reasonable shift hours(History.com). Today, it continues to shine as a beacon of hope to those disadvantaged workers in poorer communities.
One specific example of the importance of labor unions is demonstrated in the teacher workforce. During the 19th century, “Tenure evolved[…] as one of the few perks available to people who were paid low wages”(Shaiken). In the simplest form, labor unions help increase wages. As of 2020, “Unionized workers earn on average 11.2% more in wages than nonunionized peers”(McNicholas). In turn, this translates to higher salaries and therefore more spending money to support businesses(and the people associated with it). With more profit, businesses(and people) can expand and hire more workers to meet increasing demands, boosting the economy. It also ensures that teachers who “had classes of 70 or 80 or more” were fairly compensated being that the resources needed to cover more students. If inadequate supplements are provided for the students, their knowledge and overall education value will decrease, adding to a society where more students accept lower paying jobs that require less education. Similar to a domino effect, a demand for blue collar jobs over white collar jobs would ultimately hurt our economy due to a gradual slow of technological advances. Furthermore, these organizations see to it that no teacher “endured terrible working conditions”(Ravitch). In some cases, an inexperienced principal can assume control over the school and therefore the teachers’ schedules. This way with labor unions, the teachers can fight for their constitutional rights and push for reforms that help the teachers as well as the students perform better in academics. Providing extra support, “the staff of the CTA and CFT provide negotiating support to their local affiliates” in order to help with any issues that hinder the progress of learning in a safe and healthy environment(ED100). Additionally, teachers with a 2 year tenure cannot get fired for petty conflicts, which can prove detrimental to their chance of finding another job and overall financial stability. Reducing the level of unemployment is critical to maintaining a strong economy. Ensuring a lifelong job as a teacher comes with benefits such as included medical, dental, and vision insurance for themselves and their family as well as retirement benefits, sick days, and paid leave. Teachers are justly compensated for the capital and investment teachers accumulated which in turn helped a new generation of students grow who will eventually improve and add to the economy.

Works Cited
“7.5 Teachers’ Unions: Don’t Underestimate Them.” ED100, https://ed100.org/lessons/teacherunions.
History.com Editors. “Labor Movement.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 29 Oct. 2009, https://www.history.com/topics/19th-century/labor.
McNicholas, Celine. “Why Unions Are Good for Workers-Especially in a Crisis like Covid-19: 12 Policies That Would Boost Worker Rights, Safety, and Wages.” Economic Policy Institute, 25 Aug. 2020, https://www.epi.org/publication/why-unions-are-good-for-workers-especially-in-a-crisis-like-covid-19-12-policies-that-would-boost-worker-rights-safety-and-wages/.
Ravitch, Diane. “Why Teacher Unions Are Good for Teachers-and the Public.” American Federation of Teachers, 3 Nov. 2014, https://www.aft.org/periodical/american-educator/winter-2006-2007/why-teacher-unions-are-good-teachers-and.

Last Completed Projects