History of Labor Unions
Nick Reget
Conditions Before Unions
Before there were Unions, workers were forced to work under poor conditions. A lot of the time, workers worked many hours more that what they could handle and if they protested by themselves, they would get fired. Some factory workers and other low wage income workers had to work in low levels of light and some of them would get hurt and the company wouldnt take responsibility for the accident.
Reasons for Formation of Unions
Underpaid and underappreciated workers wanted to protest the crude treatment from their bosses without getting fired. If the workers formed group protests, the bosses wouldnt be able to fire all of them and they could fight back with violent protest if it was necessary.
Examples of Unions
American Federation of Teachers (AFT)- Founded in 1916, the AFT looks for the benefits of its 1.5 Million members that are classroom teachers
Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA)- Founded in 1931, the ALPA looks to advance the safety and technology of Air Lines
Conditions After Unions
Once word of the first successful protests were spread, more and more people started protesting for better working conditions. As this happened, the employers could get lists of all the people that were in Unions and make sure not to hire them, so in the end, the Unions gave the employees hope, but the lists put an end to the Unions.
History of Wisconsin Unions
Wisconsin has dealt with Unions for a very long time. In 1865 workers at shoemaker companies in Milwaukee joined the Molders Union, the first modern trade Union. There have been many powerfull Unions in the state of Wisconsin since the Molders Union, and many more violent and respected events caused by Unions.
State of Unions
Some Republican Polititions have been trying to stop the Unions from being so powerfull becuase they make it hard for the employers to make a profit while keeping the employees happy. Scott Walker was accused of being a Union "Buster" during his run for re-election.