Trade union

Not to be confused withTrade association.

"Labour Union" redirects here. For other uses, seeLabour Union (disambiguation).

Atrade union(British English) orlabor union(American English), often simply referred to as aunion,is an organization of workers whose purpose is to maintain or improve the conditions of theiremployment,such as attaining betterwagesandbenefits,improvingworkingconditions, improving safety standards, establishing complaint procedures, developing rules governing status of employees (rules governing promotions, just-cause conditions for termination) and protecting and increasing thebargaining powerof workers.

Trade unions typically fund their head office and legal team functions through regularly imposed fees calledunion dues.Theunion representativesin theworkforceare usually made up ofworkplacevolunteers who are often appointed by members through internal democratic elections. The trade union, through an elected leadership and bargaining committee, bargains with the employer on behalf of its members, known as the rank and file, and negotiateslabour contracts(collective bargaining agreements) with employers.

Unions may organize a particular section of skilled or unskilled workers (craft unionism),a cross-section of workers from various trades (general unionism), or an attempt to organize all workers within a particular industry (industrial unionism). The agreements negotiated by a union are binding on the rank-and-file members and the employer, and in some cases on other non-member workers. Trade unions traditionally have aconstitutionwhich details the governance of their bargaining unit and also have governance at various levels of government depending on the industry that binds them legally to their negotiations and functioning.

Originating in theUnited Kingdom,trade unions became popular in many countries during theIndustrial Revolution.Trade unions may be composed of individual workers,professionals,past workers,students,apprenticesor theunemployed.Trade union density, or the percentage of workers belonging to a trade union,is highest in the Nordic countries.

Definition

Garment workers on strike, New York City,c. 1913

Since the publication of theHistory of Trade Unionism(1894) bySidneyandBeatrice Webb,the predominant historical view is that a trade union "is a continuous association of wage earners for the purpose of maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment".Karl Marxdescribed trade unions thus: "The value of labour-power constitutes the conscious and explicit foundation of the trade unions, whose importance for the... working class can scarcely be overestimated. The trade unions aim at nothing less than to prevent the reduction of wages below the level that is traditionally maintained in the various branches of industry. That is to say, they wish to prevent the price of labour-power from falling below its value" (CapitalV1, 1867, p. 1069). Earlysocialistsalso saw trade unions as a way todemocratizethe workplace, in order to obtain political power.

A modern definition by theAustralian Bureau of Statisticsstates that a trade union is "an organisation consisting predominantly of employees, the principal activities of which include the negotiation of rates of pay and conditions of employment for its members".

Recent historical research by Bob James puts forward the view that trade unions are part of a broader movement ofbenefit societies,which includes medievalguilds,Freemasons,Oddfellows,friendly societies,and otherfraternal organizations.

History

Main articles:Labour movement,Collegium (ancient Rome),andGuild

Trade guilds

Following the unification of the city-states inAssyriaandSumerbySargon of Akkadinto a single empirec. 2334 BC,a common Mesopotamian standardfor length, area, volume, weight, and time used by artisan guilds in each city was promulgated byNaram-Sin of Akkad(c. 2254–2218 BC), Sargon's grandson, including forshekels.Codex HammurabiLaw 234(c. 1755–1750 BC) stipulated a 2-shekelprevailing wagefor each 60-gur (300-bushel) vessel constructed in an employment contract between a shipbuilder and a ship-owner.Law 275 stipulated a ferry rate of 3-gerahper day on acharterpartybetween aship chartererand a shipmaster. Law 276 stipulated a 21⁄2-gerah per dayfreight rateon acontract of affreightmentbetween a charterer and shipmaster, while Law 277 stipulated a1⁄6-shekel per day freight rate for a 60-gur vessel.In 1816, an archaeological excavation inMinya, Egypt(under anEyaletof the Ottoman Empire) produced aNerva–Antonine dynasty-era tablet from the ruins of theTemple of AntinousinAntinoöpolis,that prescribed the rules and membership dues of aburial societycollegiumestablished inLanuvium,in approximately 133 AD during the reign ofHadrian(117–138) of the Roman Empire.

Acollegiumwas any association in ancient Rome that acted as alegal entity.Following the passage of theLex Juliaduring the reign of Julius Caesar (49–44 BC), and their reaffirmation during the reign ofCaesar Augustus(27 BC–14 AD),collegiarequired the approval of theRoman Senateor the Roman emperor in order to be authorized as legal bodies.Ruins atLambaesisdate the formation of burial societies among Roman Army soldiers andRoman Navymariners to the reign ofSeptimius Severus(193–211) in 198 AD.In September 2011, archaeological investigations done at the site of the artificial harborPortusin Rome revealed inscriptions in a shipyard constructed during the reign ofTrajan(98–117) indicating the existence of a shipbuilders guild.Rome'sLa Ostia portwas home to a guildhall for acorpus naviculariorum,acollegiumof merchant mariners.Collegiumalso included fraternities ofRoman priestsoverseeingritual sacrifices,practisingaugury,keeping scriptures, arranging festivals, and maintaining specific religious cults.

Modern trade unions

While a commonly held mistaken view holds modern trade unionism to be a product ofMarxism,the earliest modern trade unions predate Marx'sCommunist Manifesto(1848) by almost a century (and Marx's writings themselves frequently address the prior existence of the workers' movements of his time.) The first recorded labour strike in theUnited Stateswas byPhiladelphiaprinters in 1786, who opposed a wage reduction and demanded $6 per week in wages.The origins of modern trade unions can be traced back to 18th-century Britain, where theIndustrial Revolutiondrew masses of people, includingdependents,peasants and immigrants, into cities. Britain had ended the practice ofserfdomin 1574, but the vast majority of people remained astenant-farmerson estates owned by thelanded aristocracy.This transition was not merely one of relocation from rural to urban environs; rather, the nature of industrial work created a new class of "worker". A farmer worked the land, raised animals and grew crops, and either owned the land or paid rent, but ultimately sold aproductand had control over his life and work. As industrial workers, however, the workers sold their work as labour and took directions from employers, giving up part of their freedom and self-agency in the service of a master. The critics of the new arrangement would call this "wage slavery",but the term that persisted was a new form of human relations: employment. Unlike farmers, workers often had less control over their jobs; without job security or a promise of an on-going relationship with their employers, they lacked some control over the work they performed or how it impacted their health and life. It is in this context that modern trade unions emerge.

In the cities, trade unions encountered much hostility from employers and government groups. In the United States, unions and unionists were regularly prosecuted under various restraint of trade and conspiracy laws, such as theSherman Antitrust Act.This pool of unskilled and semi-skilled labour spontaneously organized in fits and starts throughout its beginnings,and would later be an important arena for the development of trade unions. Trade unions have sometimes been seen as successors to theguildsofmedieval Europe,though the relationship between the two is disputed, as the masters of the guilds employed workers (apprentices and journeymen) who were not allowed to organize.

Trade unions and collective bargaining were outlawed from no later than the middle of the 14th century, when theOrdinance of Labourerswas enacted in theKingdom of England,but their way of thinking was the one that endured down the centuries, inspiring evolutions and advances in thinking which eventually gave workers more power. As collective bargaining and early worker unions grew with the onset of the Industrial Revolution, the government began to clamp down on what it saw as the danger of popular unrest at the time of theNapoleonic Wars.In 1799, theCombination Actwas passed, which banned trade unions and collective bargaining by British workers. Although the unions were subject to often severe repression until 1824, they were already widespread in cities such asLondon.Workplace militancy had also manifested itself asLuddismand had been prominent in struggles such as the1820 Risingin Scotland, in which 60,000 workers went on ageneral strike,which was soon crushed. Sympathy for the plight of the workers brought repeal of the acts in 1824, although theCombination Act 1825restricted their activity to bargaining for wage increases and changes in working hours.

By the 1810s, the first labour organizations to bring together workers of divergent occupations were formed. Possibly the first such union was the General Union of Trades, also known as the Philanthropic Society, founded in 1818 inManchester.The latter name was to hide the organization's real purpose in a time when trade unions were still illegal.

National general unions

Poster issued by the London Trades Council, advertising a demonstration held on 2 June 1873

The first attempts at forming a nationalgeneral unionin the United Kingdom were made in the 1820s and 30s. TheNational Association for the Protection of Labourwas established in 1830 byJohn Doherty,after an apparently unsuccessful attempt to create a similar national presence with the National Union of Cotton-spinners. The Association quickly enrolled approximately 150 unions, consisting mostly oftextile related unions,but also including mechanics, blacksmiths, and various others. Membership rose to between 10,000 and 20,000 individuals spread across the five counties ofLancashire,Cheshire,Derbyshire,NottinghamshireandLeicestershirewithin a year.To establish awareness and legitimacy, the union started the weeklyVoice of the Peoplepublication, having the declared intention "to unite the productive classes of the community in one common bond of union."

In 1834, the Welsh socialistRobert Owenestablished theGrand National Consolidated Trades Union.The organization attracted a range ofsocialistsfrom Owenites to revolutionaries and played a part in the protests after theTolpuddle Martyrs' case, but soon collapsed.

More permanent trade unions were established from the 1850s, better resourced but often less radical. TheLondon Trades Councilwas founded in 1860, and theSheffield Outragesspurred the establishment of theTrades Union Congressin 1868, the first long-livednational trade union center.By this time, the existence and the demands of the trade unions were becoming accepted byliberalmiddle-class opinion. InPrinciples of Political Economy(1871)John Stuart Millwrote:

If it were possible for the working classes, by combining among themselves, to raise or keep up the general rate of wages, it needs hardly be said that this would be a thing not to be punished, but to be welcomed and rejoiced at. Unfortunately the effect is quite beyond attainment by such means. The multitudes who compose the working class are too numerous and too widely scattered to combine at all, much more to combine effectually. If they could do so, they might doubtless succeed in diminishing the hours of labour, and obtaining the same wages for less work. They would also have a limited power of obtaining, by combination, an increase of general wages at the expense of profits.

Beyond this claim, Mill also argued that, because individual workers had no basis for assessing the wages for a particular task, labour unions would lead to greater efficiency of the market system.

Legalization, expansion and recognition

Trade union demonstrators held at bay by soldiers during the 1912Lawrence textile strikeinLawrence, Massachusetts

Britishtrade unions were finally legalized in 1872, after aRoyal Commission on Trade Unionsin 1867 agreed that the establishment of the organizations was to the advantage of both employers and employees.

This period also saw the growth of trade unions in other industrializing countries, especially the United States, Germany and France.

In the United States, the first effective nationwide labour organization was theKnights of Labor,in 1869, which began to grow after 1880. Legalization occurred slowly as a result of a series of court decisions.TheFederation of Organized Trades and Labor Unionsbegan in 1881 as a federation of different unions that did not directly enrol workers. In 1886, it became known as theAmerican Federation of Laboror AFL.

In Germany, theFree Association of German Trade Unionswas formed in 1897 after theconservativeAnti-Socialist Lawsof ChancellorOtto von Bismarckwere repealed.

In France, labour organisation was illegal until the1884 Waldeck Rousseau laws.TheFédération des bourses du travailwas founded in 1887 and merged with the Fédération nationale des syndicats (National Federation of Trade Unions) in 1895 to form theGeneral Confederation of Labour.

In a number of countries during the 20th century, including in Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom, legislation was passed to provide for the voluntary or statutory recognition of a union by an employer.

Prevalence worldwide

World map with countries shaded according to their trade union density rate with statistics provided by theInternational Labour OrganizationDepartment of Statistics

90.0–99.9%

80.0–89.9%

70.0–79.9%

60.0–69.9%

50.0–59.9%

40.0–49.9%

30.0–39.9%

20.0–29.9%

10.0–19.9%

0.0–9.9%

No data

Labor union membership by country

Hours Worked Compared to Earnings Per Week

Union densityhas been steadily declining from theOECDaverage of 35.9% in 1998 to 27.9% in the year 2018.The main reasons for these developments are adecline in manufacturing,increasedglobalization,and governmental policies.

The decline in manufacturing is the most direct influence, as unions were historically beneficial and prevalent in the sector; for this reason, there may be an increase indeveloping nationsas OECD nations continue to export manufacturing industries to these markets. The second reason is globalization, which makes it harder for unions to maintain standards across countries. The last reason is governmental policies. These come from both sides of the political spectrum. In the UK and US, it has been mostly right-wing proposals that make it harder for unions to form or that limit their power. On the other side, there are many social policies such asminimum wage,paid vacation,parental leave, etc., that decrease the need to be in a union.

The prevalence of labour unions can be measured by "union density", which is expressed as a percentage of the total number of workers in a given location who are trade union members.The table below shows the percentage acrossOECDmembers.

Union density across OECD members (in %)

Country	2020	2018	2017	2016	2015	2000
Australia	..	13.7	14.7	..	..	24.9
Austria	..	26.3	26.7	26.9	27.4	36.9
Belgium	..	50.3	51.9	52.8	54.2	56.6
Canada	27.2	25.9	26.3	26.3	29.4	28.2
Chile	..	16.6	17.0	17.7	16.1	11.2
Czech Republic	..	11.5	11.7	12.0	12.0	27.2
Denmark	..	66.5	66.1	65.5	67.1	74.5
Estonia	..	4.3	4.3	4.4	4.7	14.0
Finland	..	60.3	62.2	64.9	66.4	74.2
France	..	8.8	8.9	9.0	9.0	10.8
Germany	..	16.5	16.7	17.0	17.6	24.6
Greece	..	..	..	19.0	..	..
Hungary	..	7.9	8.1	8.5	9.4	23.8
Iceland	92.2	91.8	91.0	89.8	90.0	89.1
Ireland	26.2	24.1	24.3	23.4	25.4	35.9
Israel	..	..	25.0	..	..	37.7
Italy	..	34.4	34.3	34.4	35.7	34.8
Japan	..	17.0	17.1	17.3	17.4	21.5
Korea	..	..	10.5	10.0	10.0	11.4
Latvia	..	11.9	12.2	12.3	12.6	..
Lithuania	..	7.1	7.7	7.7	7.9	..
Luxembourg	..	31.8	32.1	32.3	33.3	..
Mexico	12.4	12.0	12.5	12.7	13.1	16.7
Netherlands	..	16.4	16.8	17.3	17.7	22.3
New Zealand	..	..	17.3	17.7	17.9	22.4
Norway	..	49.2	49.3	49.3	49.3	53.6
Poland	..	..	..	12.7	..	23.5
Portugal	..	..	..	15.3	16.1	..
Slovak Republic	..	..	..	10.7	11.7	34.2
Slovenia	..	..	..	20.4	20.9	44.2
Spain	..	13.6	14.2	14.8	15.2	17.5
Sweden	..	65.5	65.6	66.9	67.8	81.0
Switzerland	..	14.4	14.9	15.3	15.7	20.7
Turkey	..	9.2	8.6	8.2	8.0	12.5
United Kingdom	..	23.4	23.2	23.7	24.2	29.8
United States	10.3	10.1	10.3	10.3	10.6	12.9

Source:OECD

Structure and politics

Cesar Chavezspeaking at a 1974United Farm Workersrally inDelano, California.The UFW during Chavez's tenure was committed to restricting immigration.

Unions may organize a particular section of skilled workers (craft unionism,traditionally found inAustralia,Canada, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, the UK and the US), a cross-section of workers from various trades (general unionism,traditionally found in Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Netherlands, the UK and the US), or attempt to organize all workers within a particular industry (industrial unionism,found in Australia, Canada, Germany, Finland, Norway, South Korea, Sweden, Switzerland, the UK and the US).These unions are often divided into "locals",and united in nationalfederations.These federations themselves will affiliate withInternationals,such as theInternational Trade Union Confederation.However, inJapan,union organisation is slightly different due to the presence of enterprise unions, i.e. unions that are specific to a plant or company. These enterprise unions, however, join industry-wide federations which in turn are members ofRengo,the Japanese national trade union confederation.

InWestern Europe,professional associationsoften carry out the functions of a trade union. In these cases, they may be negotiating for white-collar or professional workers, such as physicians, engineers or teachers. In Sweden the white-collar unions have a strong position in collective bargaining where they cooperate with blue-colar unions in setting the "mark" (the industry norm) in negotiations with the employers' association in manufacturing industry.

A union may acquire the status of a "juristic person"(an artificial legal entity), with a mandate to negotiate with employers for the workers it represents. In such cases, unions have certain legal rights, most importantly the right to engage incollective bargainingwith the employer (or employers) over wages, working hours, and otherterms and conditions of employment.The inability of the parties to reach an agreement may lead toindustrial action,culminating in eitherstrike actionor managementlockout,or binding arbitration. In extreme cases, violent or illegal activities may develop around these events.

TheGreat Southwest Railroad Strike of 1886was a trade union strike involving more than 200,000 workers.

In some regions, unions may face active repression, either by governments or by extralegal organizations, with manycases of violence,some having lead to deaths, having been recorded historically.

Unions may also engage in broader political or social struggle.Social Unionismencompasses many unions that use their organizational strength to advocate for social policies and legislation favourable to their members or to workers in general. As well, unions in some countries are closely aligned withpolitical parties.ManyLabour partieswere founded as the electoral arms of trade unions.

Unions are also delineated by theservice modeland theorganizing model.The service model union focuses more on maintaining worker rights, providing services, and resolving disputes. Alternately, the organizing model typically involves full-timeunion organizers,who work by building up confidence, strong networks, and leaders within the workforce; and confrontational campaigns involving large numbers of union members. Many unions are a blend of these two philosophies, and the definitions of the models themselves are still debated.Informal workersoften face unique challenges when trying to participate in trade union movements as formal trade union organizations recognized by the state and employers may not accommodate for the employment categories common in the informal economy. Simultaneously, the lack of regular work locations and loopholes relating tofalse self-employmentadd barriers and costs for the trade unions when trying to organize the informal economy. This has been a significant threshold to labour organizing inlow-income countries,where the labour force mostly works in the informal economy.

In the United Kingdom, the perceived left-leaning nature of trade unions (and their historical close alignment with theLabour Party) has resulted in the formation of a reactionary right-wing trade union calledSolidaritywhich is supported by the far-rightBNP.In Denmark, there are some newer apolitical "discount" unions who offer a very basic level of services, as opposed to the dominating Danish pattern of extensive services and organizing.

A rally of the trade unionUNISONinOxfordduring a strike on 28 March 2006

In contrast, in several European countries (e.g. Belgium, Denmark, theNetherlandsandSwitzerland), religious unions have existed for decades. These unions typically distanced themselves from some of the doctrines of orthodoxMarxism,such as the preference of atheism and from rhetoric suggesting that employees' interests always are in conflict with those of employers. Some of these Christian unions have had some ties to centrist or conservative political movements, and some do not regard strikes as acceptable political means for achieving employees' goals.InPoland,the biggest trade unionSolidarityemerged as ananti-communistmovement withreligious nationalistovertonesand today it supports the right-wingLaw and Justiceparty.

Although their political structure and autonomy varies widely, union leaderships are usually formed through democraticelections.Some research, such as that conducted by the Australian Centre for Industrial Relations Research and Training,argues that unionized workers enjoy better conditions and wages than those who are not unionized.

International unions

The oldest global trade union organizations include theWorld Federation of Trade Unionscreated in 1945.The largest trade union federation in the world is theBrussels-basedInternational Trade Union Confederation(ITUC), created in 2006,which has approximately 309 affiliated organizations in 156 countries and territories, with a combined membership of 166 million. National and regional trade unions organizing in specific industry sectors or occupational groups also formglobal union federations,such asUNI Global,IndustriALL,theInternational Transport Workers Federation,theInternational Federation of Journalists,the International Arts and Entertainment Alliance andPublic Services International.

Labour law

Union law varies from country to country, as does the function of unions. For example, German and Dutch unions have played a greater role in management decisions through participation insupervisory boardsandco-determinationthan other countries.Moreover, in the United States, collective bargaining is most commonly undertaken by unions directly with employers, whereas in Austria, Denmark, Germany or Sweden, unions most often negotiate withemployers associations,a form ofsectoral bargaining.

Concerning labour market regulation in the EU, Gold (1993)and Hall (1994)have identified three distinct systems of labour market regulation, which also influence the role that unions play:

• "In the Continental European System of labour market regulation, the government plays an important role as there is a strong legislative core of employee rights, which provides the basis for agreements as well as a framework for discord between unions on one side and employers or employers' associations on the other. This model was said to be found in EU core countries such as Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Italy, and it is also mirrored and emulated to some extent in the institutions of the EU, due to the relative weight that these countries had in the EU until the EU expansion by the inclusion of 10 newEastern Europeanmember states in 2004.
• In the Anglo-Saxon System of labour market regulation, the government's legislative role is much more limited, which allows for more issues to be decided between employers and employees and any union or employers' associations which might represent these parties in the decision-making process. However, in these countries, collective agreements are not widespread; only a few businesses and a few sectors of the economy have a strong tradition of finding collective solutions in labour relations.Irelandand the UK belong to this category, and in contrast to the EU core countries above, these countries first joined the EU in 1973.
• In the Nordic System of labour market regulation, the government's legislative role is limited in the same way as in the Anglo-Saxon system. However, in contrast to the countries in the Anglo-Saxon system category, this is a much more widespread network of collective agreements, which covers most industries and most firms. This model was said to encompass Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden. Here, Denmark joined the EU in 1973, whereas Finland and Sweden joined in 1995. "

The United States takes a morelaissez-faireapproach, setting some minimum standards but leaving most workers' wages and benefits to collective bargaining and market forces. Thus, it comes closest to the above Anglo-Saxon model. Also, the Eastern European countries that have recently entered into the EU come closest to the Anglo-Saxon model.

In contrast, in Germany, the relation between individual employees and employers is considered to be asymmetrical. In consequence, many working conditions are not negotiable due to a strong legal protection of individuals. However, the German flavor or works legislation has as its main objective to create a balance of power between employees organized in unions and employers organized in employers' associations. This allows much wider legal boundaries for collective bargaining, compared to the narrow boundaries for individual negotiations. As a condition to obtain the legal status of a trade union, employee associations need to prove that their leverage is strong enough to serve as a counterforce in negotiations with employers. If such an employee's association is competing against another union, its leverage may be questioned by unions and then evaluated in labour court. In Germany, only very few professional associations obtained the right to negotiate salaries and working conditions for their members, notably the medical doctor's associationMarburger Bundand the pilots associationVereinigung Cockpit.The engineer's associationVerein Deutscher Ingenieuredoes not strive to act as a union, as it also represents the interests of engineering businesses.

Beyond the classification listed above, unions' relations with political parties vary. In many countries unions are tightly bonded, or even share leadership, with a political party intended to represent the interests of the working class. Typically, this is aleft-wing,socialist,orsocial democraticparty, but many exceptions exist, including some of the aforementioned Christian unions.In the United States, trade unions are almost always aligned with theDemocratic Partywith a few exceptions. For example, theInternational Brotherhood of Teamstershas supportedRepublican Partycandidates on a number of occasions and theProfessional Air Traffic Controllers Organization(PATCO) endorsedRonald Reaganin 1980. In the United Kingdom trade union movement's relationship with theLabour Partyfrayed as party leadership embarked onprivatizationplans at odds with what unions see as the worker's interests. However, it has strengthened once more after the Labour party's election ofEd Miliband,who beat his brotherDavid Milibandto become leader of the party after Ed secured the trade union votes. Additionally, in the past, there was a group known as theConservative Trade Unionists,or CTU, formed of people who sympathized with right wing Tory policy but were Trade Unionists.

Historically, theRepublic of Koreahas regulated collective bargaining by requiring employers to participate, but collective bargaining has only been legal if held in sessions before thelunar new year.

Shop types

Companies that employ workers with a union generally operate on one of several models:

• Aclosed shop(US) or a "pre-entry closed shop" (UK) employs only people who are already union members. The compulsoryhiring hallis an example of a closed shop—in this case the employer must recruit directly from the union, as well as the employee working strictly for unionized employers.
• Aunion shop(US) or a "post-entry closed shop" (UK) employs non-union workers as well but sets a time limit within which new employees must join a union.
• Anagency shoprequires non-union workers to pay a fee to the union for its services in negotiating their contract. This is sometimes called theRand formula.
• Anopen shopdoes not require union membership in employing or keeping workers. Where a union is active, workers who do not contribute to a union may include those who approve of the union contract (free riders) and those who do not. In the United States, state levelright-to-work lawsmandate the open shop in some states. In Germany only open shops are legal; that is, all discrimination based on union membership is forbidden. This affects the function and services of the union.

An EU case concerning Italy stated that, "The principle of trade union freedom in the Italian system implies recognition of the right of the individual not to belong to any trade union (" negative "freedom of association/trade union freedom), and the unlawfulness of discrimination liable to cause harm to non-unionized employees."

In the United Kingdom, previous to this EU jurisprudence, a series of laws introduced during the 1980s by Margaret Thatcher's government restricted closed and union shops. All agreements requiring a worker to join a union are now illegal. In the United States, theTaft–Hartley Actof 1947 outlawed the closed shop.

In 2006, theEuropean Court of Human Rightsfound Danish closed-shop agreements to be in breach of Article 11 of theEuropean Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms.It was stressed that Denmark andIcelandwere among a limited number of contracting states that continue to permit the conclusion of closed-shop agreements.

Impact

Economics

US Income inequality and union participation have had a distinctly inverse relationship, with the disparity increasing since the 1980s.

The academic literature shows substantial evidence that trade unions reduceeconomic inequality.The economistJoseph Stiglitzhas asserted that, "Strong unions have helped to reduce inequality, whereas weaker unions have made it easier forCEOs,sometimes working with market forces that they have helped shape, to increase it. "Evidence indicates that those who arenotmembers of unions also see higher wages. Researchers suggest that unions set industrial norms as firms try to stop further unionization or losing workers to better-paying competitors.The decline in unionization since the 1960s in the United States has been associated with a pronounced rise inincomeandwealth inequalityand, since 1967, with loss ofmiddle classincome.Right-to-work lawshave been linked to greater economic inequality in the United States.

TheHoover Institutionthink tank has asserted that the economic inequality argument made in favor of trade unions "misfires on several fronts. Those high union wages could not survive in the face of foreign competition or new nonunionized firms. The only way a union can provide gains for its members is to extract some fraction of the profits that firms enjoy when they hold monopoly positions." The think tank has also asserted that the decline of trade unions in the United States "cannot drive widespread inequality for the entire population, which is also affected by a rise in the knowledge economy as well as a general aging of the population."

Research from Norway has found that high unionization rates lead to substantial increases in firm productivity, as well as increases in workers' wages.Research from Belgium also found productivity gains, although smaller.However, other research in the United States has found that unions can harm profitability, employment and business growth rates.UK research on employment, wages, productivity, and investment found union density improved all metrics - but only until a limit. Forming U-shaped curves, after an optimal density, more unionisationworsenedemployment, wages, etc.Research from theAnglosphereindicates that unions can provide wage premiums and reduce inequality while reducing employment growth and restricting employment flexibility.Some trade unions oppose approaches which increase productivity, such asautomation.

In the United States, the outsourcing of labour to Asia, Latin America, and Africa has been partially driven by increasing costs of union partnership, which gives other countries acomparative advantagein labour, making it more efficient to perform labour-intensive work there.Trade unions have been accused of benefiting insider workers and those with secure jobs at the cost of outsider workers, consumers of the goods or services produced, and the shareholders of the unionized business.EconomistMilton Friedmansought to show that unionization produces higher wages (for the union members) at the expense of fewer jobs, and that, if some industries are unionized while others are not, wages will tend to decline in non-unionized industries.Friedrich Hayekcriticized unions in chapter 18 of his publicationThe Constitution of Liberty.

Trade unions frequently advocate forseniority-based compensationand againstmeritocracy.

Politics

In the United States, the weakening of unions has been linked to more favourable electoral outcomes for the Republican Party.Legislators in areas with high unionization rates are more responsive to the interests of the poor, whereas areas with lower unionization rates are more responsive to the interests of the rich.Higher unionization rates increase the likelihood of parental leave policies being adopted.Republican-controlled states are less likely to adopt more restrictive labour policies when unions are strong in the state.

Research in the United States found that American congressional representatives were more responsive to the interests of the poor in districts with higher unionization rates.Another 2020 American study found an association between US state level adoption of parental leave legislation and trade union strength.

In the United States, unions have been linked to lower racial resentment among whites.Membership in unions increases political knowledge, in particular among those with less formal education.

According to American socialist magazineJacobin,"Labor unions have long occupied a paradoxical position within Marxist theory. They are an essential expression of the working class taking shape as a collective actor and an essential vehicle for working-class action.... At the same time, unions are an imperfect and incomplete vehicle for the working class to achieve one of Marxist theory's central goals: overthrowing capitalism. Unions by their very existence affirm and reinforce capitalist class society. As organizations which primarily negotiate wages, benefits, and working conditions with employers, unions only exist in relation to capitalists."

Public-sector trade unionshave been associated with increased cost of government.

Health

In the United States, higher union density has been associated with lower suicide/overdose deaths.Decreased unionization rates in the United States have been linked to an increase in occupational fatalities.

See also

• Critique of work
• Digital Product Passport
• Excess profits tax
• Labor federation competition in the United States
• Labor Management Reporting and Disclosure Act
• Labour inspectorate
• List of trade unions
• Police union
• Profit margin
• Progressive Librarians Guild
• Project Labor Agreement
• Salt (union organizing)
• Union busting
  • Strikebreaker
• Workplace politics

Bibliography

• Braunthal, Gerard (1956). "The German Free Trade Unions during the Rise of Nazism".Journal of Central European Affairs.14(4): 339–353.
• Cole, G. D. H. (2010).Attempts at General Union.Taylor & Francis.ISBN978-1136885167.
• James, Robert Noel (2001).Craft, Trade or Mystery.Tighes Hill, New South Wales.{{cite book}}:CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
• Moses, John A. (December 1973). "The Trade Union Issue In German Social Democracy 1890–1900".Internationale Wissenschaftliche Korrespondenz zur Geschichte der Deutschen Arbeiterbewegung(19/20): 1–19.
• Schneider, Michael (1991).A brief history of the German trade unions.Bonn:JHW Dietz Nachfolger.
• Webb, Sidney; Webb, Beatrice (1920). "Chapter I".History of Trade Unionism.Longmans and Co. London.

Further reading

• Docherty, James C. (2004).Historical Dictionary of Organized Labor.
• Docherty, James C. (2010).The A to Z of Organized Labor.
• St. James Encyclopedia of Labor History Worldwide: Major Events in Labor History and Their Impacted by Neil Schlager (2 vol. 2004)

Britain

• Aldcroft, D. H. and Oliver, M. J., eds.Trade Unions and the Economy, 1870–2000.(2000).
• Campbell, A., Fishman, N., and McIlroy, J. eds.British Trade Unions and Industrial Politics: The Post-War Compromise 1945–64(1999).
• Clegg, H.A.(1964).1889–1910.A History of British Trade Unions Since 1889. Vol. I.
• Clegg, H.A. (1985).1911–1933.A History of British Trade Unions Since 1889. Vol. II.
• Clegg, H.A. (1994).1934–1951.A History of British Trade Unions Since 1889. Vol. III.
• Davies, A. J. (1996).To Build a New Jerusalem: Labour Movement from the 1890s to the 1990s.
• Laybourn, Keith(1992).A history of British trade unionism c. 1770–1990.
• Minkin, Lewis (1991).The Contentious Alliance: Trade Unions and the Labour Party.p. 708.
• Pelling, Henry (1987).A history of British trade unionism.
• Wrigley, Chris, ed.British Trade Unions, 1945–1995(Manchester University Press, 1997)
• Zeitlin, Jonathan (1987). "From labour history to the history of industrial relations".Economic History Review.40(2): 159–184.doi:10.2307/2596686.JSTOR2596686.
• Directory of Employer's Associations, Trade unions, Joint Organisations.Her Majesty's Stationery Office.1986.ISBN0113612508.

Europe

• Berghahn, Volker R., and Detlev Karsten.Industrial Relations in West Germany(Bloomsbury Academic, 1988).
• European Commission, Directorate General for Employment, Social Affairs & Inclusion:Industrial Relations in Europe 2010.
• Gumbrell-McCormick, Rebecca, and Richard Hyman.Trade unions in western Europe: Hard times, hard choices(Oxford UP, 2013).
• Kjellberg, Anders."The Decline in Swedish Union Density since 2007",Nordic Journal of Working Life Studies(NJWLS) Vol. 1. No 1 (August 2011), pp. 67–93.
• Kjellberg, Anders (2017)The Membership Development of Swedish Trade Unions and Union Confederations Since the End of the Nineteenth Century(Studies in Social Policy, Industrial Relations, Working Life and Mobility). Research Reports 2017:2. Lund: Department of Sociology, Lund University.
• Markovits, Andrei.The Politics of West German Trade Unions: Strategies of Class and Interest Representation in Growth and Crisis(Routledge, 2016).
• McGaughey, Ewan, 'Democracy or Oligarchy? Models of Union Governance in the UK, Germany and US' (2017)ssrn.com
• Misner, Paul.Catholic Labor Movements in Europe. Social Thought and Action, 1914–1965(2015).online review
• Mommsen, Wolfgang J., and Hans-Gerhard Husung, eds.The development of trade unionism in Great Britain and Germany, 1880–1914(Taylor & Francis, 1985).
• Ribeiro, Ana Teresa. "Recent Trends in Collective Bargaining in Europe."E-Journal of International and Comparative Labour Studies5.1 (2016).onlineArchived11 January 2017 at theWayback Machine
• Upchurch, Martin, and Graham Taylor.The Crisis of Social Democratic Trade Unionism in Western Europe: The Search for Alternatives(Routledge, 2016).

United States

• Arnesen, Eric, ed.Encyclopedia of U.S. Labor and Working-Class History(2006), 3 vol; 2064pp; 650 articles by expertsexcerpt and text search
• Beik, Millie, ed.Labor Relations: Major Issues in American History(2005) over 100 annotated primary documentsexcerpt and text search
• Boris, Eileen, and Nelson Lichtenstein, eds.Major Problems In The History Of American Workers: Documents and Essays(2002)
• Brody, David.In Labor's Cause: Main Themes on the History of the American Worker(1993)excerpt and text search
• Guild, C. M. (2021). Union Library Workers Blog: The Years 2019–2020 in Review.Progressive Librarian,48, 110–165.
• Dubofsky, Melvyn, and Foster Rhea Dulles.Labor in America: A History(2004), textbook, based on earlier textbooks by Dulles.
• Osnos, Evan,"Ruling-Class Rules: How to thrive in the power elite – while declaring it your enemy",The New Yorker,29 January 2024
• Taylor, Paul F.The ABC-CLIO Companion to the American Labor Movement(1993) 237pp; short encyclopedia
• Zieger, Robert H., and Gilbert J. Gall,American Workers, American Unions: The Twentieth Century(3rd ed. 2002)excerpt and text search

Other

• Alexander, Robert Jackson, and Eldon M. Parker.A history of organized labor in Brazil(Greenwood, 2003).
• Dean, Adam. 2022.Opening Up By Cracking Down: Labor Repression and Trade Liberalization in Democratic Developing Countries.Cambridge University Press.
• Hodder, A. and L. Kretsos, eds.Young Workers and Trade Unions: A Global View(Palgrave-Macmillan, 2015). Review:Holgate, Jane (9 July 2016). "Book review: A Hodder and L Kretsos (eds), Young Workers and Trade Unions: A Global View".Work, Employment and Society.31(3): 561–562.doi:10.1177/0950017015614214.ISSN0950-0170.S2CID155792641.
• Kester, Gérard.Trade unions and workplace democracy in Africa(Routledge, 2016).
• Lenti, Joseph U.Redeeming the Revolution: The State and Organized Labor in Post-Tlatelolco Mexico(University of Nebraska Press, 2017).
• Levitsky, Steven, and Scott Mainwaring. "Organized labor and democracy in Latin America".Comparative Politics(2006): 21–42,JSTOR20434019,doi:10.2307/20434019.
• Lipton, Charles (1967).The Trade Union Movement of Canada: 1827–1959.(3rd ed. Toronto, Ont.: New Canada Publications, 1973).
• Orr, Charles A."Trade Unionism in Colonial Africa"Journal of Modern African Studies,4 (1966), pp. 65–81
• Panitch, Leo & Swartz, Donald (2003).From consent to coercion: The assault on trade union freedoms(third edition. Ontario: Garamound Press).
• Taylor, Andrew.Trade Unions and Politics: A Comparative Introduction(Macmillan, 1989).
• Visser, Jelle. "Union membership statistics in 24 countries."Monthly Labor Review.129 (2006): 38+online
• Visser, Jelle. "ICTWSS: Database on institutional characteristics of trade unions, wage setting, state intervention and social pacts in 34 countries between 1960 and 2007". Institute for Advanced Labour Studies, AIAS, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam (2011).online

External links

• Australian Council of Trade Unions
• LabourStart international trade union news service
• RadioLabour
• New Unionism NetworkArchived6 January 2011 at theWayback Machine
• Trade union membership 1993–2003Archived7 April 2022 at theWayback Machine– European Industrial Relations Observatory report on membership trends in 26 European countries
• Trade union membership 2003–2008– European Industrial Relations Observatory report on membership trends in 28 European countries
• Trade Union Ancestors– Listing of 5,000 UK trade unions with histories of main organisations, trade union "family trees" and details of union membership and strikes since 1900.
• TUC History online– History of the British union movement
• Short history of the UGT in Catalonia
• Younionize Global Union Directory
• "Retaliation for Union Activity and Collection Action Rights",Workplace Fairness
• Labor Notesmagazine
• A History of Labor Unions from Colonial Times to 2009,from theMises Institute