Labor Unions and Employee Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Labor Unions and Employee Management - Essay Example ed thousand workers had already acquired a labour union membership but because of the subsequent economic depression during this time the number previously mention went down to fifty thousand members only. However, in 1886, the American Federation of Labor (AFL) was formed and its formation helped to raise the number of people in the labour unions. This increase in number of labour union membership rose because workers became aware of the fact that labor unions benefit their members by giving them a higher pay of even up to 27% more than non-unionised workers get. However, union members are required to pay 2% of their salaries to the union but nevertheless, that percentage does not compare to all the benefits they receive. ei: Health care (Milkman and Voss, 2004). With reference to the studies conducted by Early (2011), there are two legislations, which include the Railway Labor Act of 1926 and the Norris-LaGuardia Act of 1935 that were brought about by the aftermath of a series of strikes and lockouts that interrupted the rail transportation. The Rail Labor Act (RLA) was passed in 1926, and it brought about a peaceful way for railway companies and their employees to resolve their problems. It is beneficial to note that the RLA applies to common carrier rail service and commercial airline employees. This act allows employees to join only major strikes, and participate in the use of lockouts. According to the writings by Milkman and Voss (2004), this act helped employees an easier access to engage in union organization activities, this is because before this act, companies had a total control on how workers were treated. The act allowed workers the right for collective bargaining and stated â€Å"that neither officers of the union, nor the un ion itself would be held liable for unlawful activities of its members that could not be proven to have been instigated or approved by the union. After the Norris-LaGuardia Act, relations between the workforce and the management