What factors are contributing to the decline of union membership?

Question

How have the concerns of workers changed since that time?

Answer 1

I believe there are several factors that contribute to the decline of the unions. Corporate take-overs and reconstruction of the workplace "ideal" have contributed to the viability of the unions.

Initially, the unions were created to support the blue collar worker. In times of prosperity unions got the common worker great pay and great benefits, and were there to protect those amenities.

Now, in times of Corporate take overs and companies, like the auto industries, in despair, they are fighting to conserve every penny. These wages and benefits are now way to high, during a climate of cut-backs on everything from personnel, wages, benefits, and the huge buy-outs to salvage and survive. Along with these changes, unions are loosing credibility and members, as they are forced into concessions in order to preserve the jobs that are left.

Living here in Michigan, were I witness the struggles of our auto industries everyday, as well as massive grocery stores closings, etc.. I feel that the unions can no longer support the, less educated, skilled middle class in high wage earnings and benefits, while big Corporate overhauls of the highly educated are revamping the future of the work forces.

Answer 2

Unions developed a bad reputation for corruption, thanks to the Teamsters, which hired Mafia members to fight the private armies of the companies they worked for. Also, right from the beginning the business classes claimed that the unions were communist, and they published a lot of propagada about this. The history of the labor movement in this country is a bloody one. But without the unions, we'd all still be working 12 hour days, 6 days a week, with no sick time, vacation time, health benefits, and so on. American capitalism is very stingy - compare the benefits the working people of Germany, Holland, Belgium, Sweden and France have.
The Republican Party has been an enemy of unions ever since the turn of the 20th century. It has fomented all kinds of lies and misconceptions about unions.
I've belonged to 2 unions, and they made a big difference in my life.
Yes, the concerns of workers have changed. Thanks to idiotic Fundies, the Christian Right has convinced people that unions are bad, that only untrammeled capitalism is good. Greed is good - remember this slogan from the '80's? It was a Republican slogan. Only thing is, greed is one of the 7 deadly sins.
There are some excellent movies about the unions: "The Molly Maguires", with Sean Connery ; "Hoffa" with Jack Nicholson and Danny DeVito ; "Mattewan", "Coal Miner's Daughter", etc.

Answer 3

Companies who compete on a world-wide economic stage are electing not to have union workers, they can not compete with a unionized work force. That's why the single largest company in America (GM) is losing billions of dollars when they make more cars than Toyota, Ford, Chrysler, Mazda combined yet can not realize a profit. They have employees with High School diplomas making 80K a year turning a bolt for a living. They have medical care 2nd to none with no co-pay. These jobs will soon be gone and a foot note in history within 5 years.

Answer 4

i have continually been partial to President Eisenhower. He change into an exceptionally good military guy, and led the optimal alliance ever shaped. He made the Republican social gathering aggressive again interior the South. His presidential type, the "hidden-hand Presidency" change into effective and did not motive a variety of partisanship. He believed interior of us of a, and served her his entire existence.

Answer 5

i dont know this statistically, but most people who work for the union (like kids in grocery stores) would rather keep the $10/ week than be in the union which wont do anything for them.

maybe fewer people are doing careers in labor fields, too. (auto workers, electricians)