The History of Labor Unions

Moreover, the dispersal of the workforce has lead to increased practices of subcontracting, outsourcing and the hiring of temporary and part-time workers (Jose, 2002, p. 3).

Thus, this "paradigm shift" in the nature of the economy has been accompanied by a spurn in partnership membership as well as a change in the make-up of the labor unions that do exist. Traditionally, labor unions were industrial/manufacture- animald, such as the United railcar Workers (UAW) and the Teamsters. Today, however, the larger unions are in the servings sector, such as the 1.6 million workers of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and the 1.5 million work families in the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME). These unions consist of good providers, such as hospital workers, janitors, educators and local and state government activity employees. This shift, however, has seen a decline in union membership, from 24.1 percent of America's workers in 1979 to 13.2 percent in 2002 (McLaughlin, 2003, p. 1).

The primary reason for the decline in union membership is tied to the logistical problems of organizing in a globalizing economy. As noted, many jobs in such an economy are contract labor, or the contractors are self-employed, which makes it more difficult for union to organize. In addition, many more of today's workers are women and migrants in low-paying, lots part-time, jobs (Jose, 2002, p. 3).

Workers in such jobs also complain a

Union leaders have responded to such complaints by focusing less on organizing specifically for union peculiarity in favor of organizing for the specific needs of union members. Today, two the SEIU and the AFSCME have made agitating for health-care benefits for union members a base of their platforms (McLaughlin, 2003, p. 1). Thus, these unions are seeking to organize workers around common cross-industry goals sort of than organizing specific industries (Jose, 2002, p. 7). The problem with such cross-industry organizing, however, is demonstrated in the distinct views the services and manufacturing industries might hold of international treaties such as NAFTA, which manufacturing industries are more likely to oppose than are service industries.

McLaughlin, K. (September 1, 2003). "Big labor changes for the 21st century." Eagle Tribune, 1.

bout the bureaucratism and immobility inherent in labor organization, which they see as a hindrance in a society that requires greater flexibility to keep up with the rapidity of technological demands (McLaughlin, 2003, p. 1).

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