The main reason for unions to exist is because an individual worker has very little power to influence decisions that are made about his or her job. By joining together with other workers, there is more chance of having a voice and influence. All sorts of jobs and industries are covered by unions. Some unions represent people who do a particular job or work in a specific industry, while others may include a mixture of people in different jobs and sectors.

By the 1820s, various unions began to show interest in the idea of federation-of-joining together in purs

uit of common objectives for working people. Starting in the 1830s, the factory system accounted for an ever-growing share of American production. It also produced great wealth for a few, grinding poverty for many. With workers recognizing the power of their employers, the number of union organizations increased steadily during the mid-19th century. In a number of cities, unions in various trades joined together in citywide federations. In 1866 the Nation Labor Union was formed, (actually a federation- an organization of local unions). The Nation Labor Union eventually persuaded Congress to pass an eight hour day for Federal workers, marking the beginning of unions (History of Labor Unions).

An example of the negative economic effects is the coal mining industry. From 1909 through 1927, the number of production workers in bituminous coal mining in the United States oscillated around 500,000 to 600,000 (U.S. Department of Labor, 1968 p20). While employment declined in the Great Depression, it never recovered. John L. Lewis was head of the United Mine Workers union starting in 1920. His strategy led to higher wages, with weekly wages well over tripling from 1933 to 1944 (U.S. Department of Labor, 1968 p20). Employment, which had been 471,000 in depression year 1937, had fallen to 351,000 by the relatively prosperous 1950. By 1960, employment had fallen below 150,000 (Vedder and Gallaway, 2002). Unionism is not the only single cause for the decline, but with the higher wages, companies were forced to raise the price charged for coal so they would be able to pay the high wages. High prices of coal lead consumers to finding other forms of energy that were less expensive.

During the first of these two periods, employment rose by 23,885,000, and the relevant population by 40,040,000, giving a marginal employment-population rate of 59.7 percent. Both 1953 and 1973 are business cycle peaks, so the results are not significantly skewed by cyclical considerations. During the more recent period of lower and declining union density

Some topics in this essay:
Vedder Gallaway, America Unions, Hirsch Schumacher, Parker Stone, Unions Workers, Department Labor, Bureau Census, Labor Union, Mine Workers, union density, gallaway 2002, vedder gallaway, vedder gallaway 2002, labor unions, Pantuosco Parker, parker stone 2001, labor union, parker stone, stone 2001, workers unions, pantuosco parker, pantuosco parker stone, unemployment rates, relatively low rates, non-union workers unions,