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| Yes | 33% | 8 votes | Total: 24 votes | |
| No | 67% | 16 votes |
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Add to FavoritesLogic surely dictates that international unions must either become "the wave of the future for labor advocacy," or they will perish. Unions in our country, the U.S.A., have declined significantly since their peak in the 50s. They have lost the power to do battle with the huge, international companies.
The first time I personally saw the power of the international companies was when I was involved in negotiations for the United Steelworkers of America with Phelps Dodge in Albuquerque, in 1996. The company's negotiators sat at the table and gave the impression that they had all of the power in the talks, which they did. The union had absolutely no tools with which to compete. The company would dictate the terms of any agreement, and the union members could take them or leave them.
Some of you may have even noticed a recent change for the United Steelworkers of America. Formerly known as the USWA, the union now goes by the designation of USW. They clearly see that they must expand beyond just the Americas in order to have enough power to compete for higher wages, benefits and better working conditions.
In the aforementioned example of Phelps Dodge, one problem was that the workers at the mine for which the union was negotiating were not all members of the union. For years, only about 50% of the workers were members of the union at any one time. Some thought, undoubtedly, they could get anything the union members got from negotiating without having to pay union dues. This is one of the problems unions face in many states in the U.S..
Another problem in Albuquerque was that the corporation was so gigantic, world wide, that it could easily have taken a strike and waited to break the union action with little loss to their overall revenues.
The bottom line is that the unions of the United States are going to have to fight on two fronts. First, they must fight to elect national leaders who are more union friendly. Until they can get laws that put the unions on a par with the companies at the negotiating table, the unions will have little with which to fight.
The second front is an international one, as the subject of this piece suggests. Having workers throughout the world organized in one of the multi-national companies would give unions the power of hurting a corporation in the purse if the corporation became intransigent in any one country or locale.
Yes, I believe the big unions will all see the light, as have the Steelworkers, and attempt to expand their unions internationally-in reality rather than just in name. How the unions perform in this arena will determine whether they remain a viable force in the future.
Learn more about this author, Doctor Bob.
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No
The idea of an international union is an interesting query and one I honesty haven't considered. Upon giving it some thought, no, I don't see how this kind of structured union would feasibly be able to function.
Indeed labor unions are having significant issues in America; in fact, it seems that many employers are doing their best to slowly get rid of them. They are no longer are able to maintain the idealisms that protected workers in decades past. People retire, positions are not filled, or are filled with part time employees not eligible for union benefits. Outsourcing is another way these positions are filled and this has had a significant impact on the American worker and union members.
The global economy and spread of international partnerships and dealings have transformed the ways business is done. Jobs are outsourced with the processes given to the most cost-effective bidder. Often this is successful, but other times it creates additional problems for the business that weren't initially envisioned when the immediate bottom financial line savings were looked at. Sometimes risky investments are more lucrative in the long run, but in this instant gratification way of life and business, all too many businesses are inpatient to wait for returns in a highly competitive environment. As a result, jobs are moved to other countries where significant cost-savings can be realized, and this diversifies and changes an organization's structural framework.
With these changes in labor, the question of whether or not an international union is the wave of the future has been raised and it is an important one to consider. I think the more important question is can an international union feasibly function and represent groups of internationally based unified workers?
From a solely logistical point of view, different cultures have different priorities. I don't see how international unions can adequately represent all members from different regions and cultures. How could an international union effectively and successfully negotiate to represent all of its members? Pay scales would have to be different due to diversity in economies, holidays vary, governments and labor laws vary. The way I see it, an organized union would end up being segregated which would ultimately defeat the purpose of a unified international union. There are too many social, cultural and political elements that would need to be contended with. Could a union be strong enough to negotiate within different government laws and regulations and multiple business partnerships to come to an agreement that would satisfy all?
An international union would have many roadblocks, and the social and political obstacles would have to be overcome. With all the conflict that already exists in the world without resolution, this would be just another barrier and difference to contend with which could have political repercussions.
Learn more about this author, Leigh Goessl.
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