The dominant force in American industry
At one point, unions were the dominant force in American industry. Moreover, they held an often-controlling force on the US political and social fabric. Today, that no longer holds true as less than seven percent of US private-sector workers belong to a union. In the following discussion question, discuss the principle reasons that union membership has fallen so precipitously in the United States, along with how the nature of the human resource profession has changed because of the diminishing power and influence of unions in the economic, political, and societal institutions of the United States.
Sample Solution
The dominant force in American industry
Unions were once a central force in the US economy. Their steady decline may be having an impact on inequality. There are several major trends that have contributed are contributing to the continued decline in labor union membership, and these trends continue to grow in strength. They are as follows: (1) Global competition and deregulation in traditionally unionized industries – in recent years, the federal government has deregulated heavily unionized industries including the trucking, railroad, and airline industries. Deregulation has brought greater completion in this industries not only domestically but also from abroad. (2) Changes in the American economy and workforce demographics – the rising number of illegal immigrant workers who, fearing deportation, are disinclined to protest substandard employment conditions, much less become involved in a union organizing campaign. (3) Today`s workers are less interested in unionization – the declining numbers of union members over the past 20 years has spawned another problem for unions.
