Public Sector Unionism
Abstract
Public-sector unionism is a sector that works towards the needs of public employees. Public unions offer collective bargaining as a platform where negotiations between the employer, employee and union representative take place. The unions come up with contracts for the employee including the rules and regulations that have been agreed upon. This allows employees to air out their opinions and discuss their wages and their working conditions. Unions give job security and benefits to the employees and promote equality in the workplace. Public unions influence the public opinion whereby candidates who are supported by a certain union are voted in so that they can increase job opportunities. As part of Gross State Product unionization positively impacts the government expenses on public wellbeing and education. Public-sector unions have many advantages but also has its disadvantages too. Advantages include job security and benefits, increased wages, and the right of an employee to negotiate their working conditions among others. Disadvantages of unions include a contribution towards the union so that it can be successful, individual opinions do not count since decisions are made collectively and sometimes the contract may not include some of the important issues in the workplace. Public-sector unionism should be allowed because it works for the good of the employees and mostly covers the needs and interests of the workers.
Introduction
Public-sector unionism is a union that represents the needs of people working in the public sector or government organizations. The public sector is the section of the economy that comprises of the public services and enterprises. These include public goods and government services. The unions represent workers at every level of the government and influence the workers positively by taking care of their interests and allowing them to negotiate their working conditions.
Hagedorn, Paras, Greenwich, and Hagopian (2016), state that public-sector unions are the major influencers of government policies. In particular, they are influential to the states that allow unionization through collective bargaining. Collective bargaining is a process of negotiations between employees and their employers. The employee’s interests are normally presented by a representative of the union that the employee belongs to. The negotiations are normally aimed at agreements that regulate working conditions, salaries, and all the other rights of the employees.
The density of a union is influenced by the extent of collective bargaining. It is higher when employers are given the duty to discuss and come to an understanding with the labor unions. According to Norcross (2011), collective bargaining policies vary in how tolerant or restricting they are. There is a very big relationship in the density of a union and how the public sector bargaining policies have been set. In places where collective bargaining is not allowed, the highest percentage of the workers are not unionized. When the agency shop is permitted, the number of unionized workers increases.
According to Hagedorn et al. (2016), unions help in making the employees working conditions better in different ways promoting them individually, their families and their well-being. Reduced labor unions leave workers at risk in terms of reduced healthcare and safety standards. The value of unions has been established whereby it has helped to advocate for economic equality in the workplace. The lack of unions has shown the highest level of inequality in the nation. For employees, the salary they get determines their lifestyle, health and their well-being and that of their family members. An employee’s salary is higher in union jobs compared to salaries in non-union jobs. Pension plans develop stability of finances especially during retirement and in the old age. Union employees mostly have retirement and pension plan funded by the company they are working for contrary to workers that are not unionized.
Hagedorn et al., (2016) state that unions work towards developing safe and healthy workplaces. Unions help their members to have control, over how they work and the security of their jobs. This leads to a good working environment strengthening their physical and psychological health. Union contracts are used to legally bind employee’s terms and conditions for the job over a specific period. They are long-lasting and cannot be easily changed unless there is a needful reason that arouses negotiations. Contracts help to improve the working conditions and employees according to rules and regulations stated.
According to Norcross (2011), public employees are more likely to be members of a union compared to workers from the private industries. Unions help to improve the employee’s pay, their benefits the working conditions. Public-sector unions have an effect on the government’s financial policies by influence through the collective bargaining process. It also affects political projects by supporting candidates who are likely to support the union’s plans. The impact of these proposals raising payments, employment and how it is used depends on the collective bargaining policies and the political activity of the unions. Collective bargaining policies that are favorable, generate high wages. Lack of collective bargain contracts leads to low employment in some departments. This is because such departments that lack agreements pay high wages to avoid unionization.
Norcross (2011), expounds that public-sector unions work as a monopoly benefactor of labor within an official domain. Employers of the public sector are likely to influence their employees politically mostly for those who want to enlarge their constituencies by increasing employment. In the public sector, through employer negotiations, unions can increase their payments. The unions can grow their labor demand through political and regulatory processes hence increasing employment and payments. The public sector unions thrive more because when the public sector increases its employment rate the other private businesses go out of business but the government does not. The government’s stability makes it easier for new employees to be unionized in the public sector.
Public employee union is influenced by political activity which is a form of a legislative act developed to grow the demands of union labor. According to Narcross (2011), public sector workers can vote for their employers and are motivated to support leaders who will probably increase their wages and employment opportunities. Unions can influence public opinion in regards to campaigning for candidates and using union funds and hence the demands for public services through advertising for the benefit of their members. A union that has many members increases its political impact. Public-sector unions have an impact on the distribution of public goods. Unionization positively impacts the government expenses on public wellbeing and education as a part of the Gross State Product.
According to Bivens et al., (2017), unions help people to come together and work towards improving the standards and working conditions at their place of work. It is a human right for workers to join a union and negotiate with their employers about their working policies. These negotiations include increased wages, better healthcare, reasonable working hours and safe working environments. Unions also help to solve issues and settle disagreements that the workers and the employees are unable to solve individually. When collective bargaining is agreed upon, the union representative’s work towards making sure the rights of the employees in the agreement are followed accordingly. It gives the employee a voice in terms of their employment, wages and working hours among others. They also have the certainty of knowing that there is a procedure to be followed in case they want to air out any working problems.
Almost half of the employees covered by union contracts are public sector workers. Laws developed by the state control state and local government workers unions. Bivens et al., (2017) explain that each state has its laws governing collective bargaining. Some of the states give full rights to collective bargaining, in some states it is prohibited and in others, some activities are limited. Public Sector unions represent all workers from every level of education. Industries that are highly represented by public unions include health care, education, public administration, transportation, construction and information that includes broadcasting, publishing, and other communication services.
Bivens et al., (2017) state that union representatives are not company owners to be able to have a voice and be fair in the policy and strategy debates. The important laws that unions work towards strengthening include, child labor laws, social security, and unemployment insurance. They also strengthen safety and health laws and ones that offer compensation to employees who get hurt while working. There is a decrease in inequality when unions are involved and work towards low and middle-wage employees being able to acquire a fair share of economic growth. Wages for women have been raised by the help of unions. Unions have also helped to reduce the racial wage gaps by being transparent and coming up with better agreements in terms of promotions and pay rise. They have assisted employees who have been discriminated against because of their race or gender to achieve equality.
According to Walter (2019), labor-management partnerships with public unions are important because they ensure that public sector training programs serve the interests of the workers and are of high quality. These training programs are used to increase the diversity of the public sector workers and ensure that the government is ready to work with diverse populations and provide employment. This is mostly for those people who encounter different barriers in finding employment. These programs enable the employer to recruit and keep skilled workers, improving the quality of work.
They increase productivity and enhance employee relationships. Low-quality training is provided when public sector employers do not partner with unions to offer training.
For unionized workers, labor-management partnerships help in the expansion of employment opportunities. Walter (2019), states that they enable their employees to advance their carriers leading to higher pay. Unions help workers to be able to access training during their paid work hours and make sure that managers make their participation in training a priority. When unions link people with good jobs and allow them to advance their careers, workers will likely maintain their membership and other workers are likely to join the union.
The advantage of unions is that they have the power to discuss higher payment, good working conditions, and other benefits. According to Weinlink (2015), union workers are given the certainty of safety and fair treatment in the workplace. The disadvantage of the high wages discussed is that sometimes they are unreasonably too high such that a company has to increase the price of goods or services offered to be able to maintain the employee wages. This can lead to a decrease in the number of new employees hired leading to reduced workers to manage the workload. This sometimes is a cause of overworking for the employees.
Weinlink (2015) explains that in terms of job protection and security, the union and not the employer has the authority to decide how an employee should be disciplined and this includes terminating them too. The disadvantage of this is that it makes it difficult even for the employer to discipline, promote or even terminate their workers. Unions can decide whom they accept in a company and his aspect leads to associates and friends getting job opportunities that they do not qualify for. In many unions, being a member is less about the skills one has but rather more about interactions.
According to Weinlink (2015), in terms of balancing power, workers are given power by the union through a collective opinion. To maintain efficiency in the workplace, employers have to negotiate with the union. The disadvantage is that the pressure between the employer and the employees which is a result of labor unions is often unfavorable. It makes the workplace environment hostile rather than a place where there should be cooperation and harmony. Unionized workers are likely to follow a rule in regards to striking and this leads to loss of wages for the employee and profit loss for the organization.
“Advantages and Disadvantages of Labor Unions for Employees”, (2019) helps to expound on the pros and cons of public sector unionism. The pros include better access to pension or retirement benefits for the unionized employees and pay very little for these benefits compared to employees that are not union members. Employees who are members of unions have more power in the workplace because they act as a group and not as individuals. When they speak in a unanimous voice, the employers have no choice rather than to find a way to meet their needs. Written contracts are written by the labor unions and act as references when something erupts in the workplace and with this, everyone knows the outcome of every situation. The collective bargaining agreements are normally short term agreements. In a union environment, there are many opportunities for making changes and this means more opportunities to negotiate about the working terms and conditions. The collective bargaining agreements develop a procedure in which every party knows how to air their grievances which makes it easier for workers to handle conflicts that come up in the workplace.
“Advantages and Disadvantages of Labor Unions for Employees”, (2019) expounds on the cons of public sector unionism which are, employees have to contribute towards the union for it to be successful. The contributions normally depend on the employee’s salary and the union may require a certain percent royalty from each paycheck. Despite the union offering protection for employees, there is a lack of self-direction. This is so because when the majority of the workers agree on something and some do not agree, the lesser opinions are not considered. The collective bargaining document does not permit immediate termination and this can be a challenge to fire disorderly employees. Unions can overlook the educational and working experiences of an employee and do away with someone who has a master over one with ten years’ experience. This can cause a company not to grow because of a lack of innovation.
Conclusion
Public-sector unionism represents a big part when it comes to employees. The unionism offers agreements that favor the employees and enable them to have good working conditions. Unions act on the rights of employees and make sure each one of them is followed. The collective bargaining offered by unions gives the employee the right to have a say in their working terms, their wages and their job security. Unions are a positive influence on workers and should be encouraged in every way possible
References
Bivens J., Engdahl L., Gould E., Kroeger T., McNicholus C., Mishel L., Mokhiber Z. … Zipperer B. (2017). How today’s unions help working people: Giving workers the power to improve their jobs and unrig the economy. Retrieved from https://www.epi.org / publication/how-todays-unions-help-working-people-giving-workers-the-power-to-improve-their-jobs-and-unrig-the-economy
Hagedorn, J., Paras, C. A., Greenwich, H., & Hagopian, A. (2016). The Role of Labor Unions in
Creating Working Conditions That Promote Public Health. American journal of public
health, 106(6), 989–995. S
Norcross E (2011). Public Sector Unionism: A Review. Retrieved from https://www.mercatus.
org/system/files / WP1126-Public-Sector-Unionism.
Walter K. (2019). Public Sector Training Partnerships Build Power: Retrieved from https://www.americanprogress. org/issues/economy/reports/2019/10/03/475355/public- sector-training-partnerships-build-power Weinlink J. (2015). Pros and Cons of Unions: Retrieved from https://www.nexxt.com /articles/ pros-and-cons-of-unions16 Big Advantages and Disadvantages of Labor Unions for Employees (2019). Retrieved from
https://connectusfund.org/16-big-advantages-and-disadvantages-of-labor-unions-for-employees
