09 Jul Sequence the Legal Evolution of the Union Movement in the United States

In anticipation of your organization possibly moving to unionize, your director has requested that you hold a meeting for all human resources to provide an overview of the legal evolution of labor unions within the United States. Your presentation should be structured to inform and explain the legal foundation of the union movement through the years. Your director requests that you develop a PowerPoint presentation in which you present the evolution of labor laws to coincide with union progress. Support your presentation with at least five (5) scholarly resources. In addition to these specified resources, other appropriate scholarly resources may be included.

The required length of the PowerPoint Presentation option for this assignment is 12-15 slides (with a separate reference slide). Your presentation MUST include notes containing 150-200 words per slide (this is your script). Be sure to include citations for quotations and paraphrases with references in APA format and style.

Labor Relations Law

During the Industrial Revolution, workers moved from rural areas to more urbanized centers and work moved from the farms to the factories. This new work environment required workers to put in long hours, in often unsafe working conditions for very low wages. There are many reasons employees initially sought to form unions during the Industrial Revolution Era, such as improving wages, working hours and working conditions as well as taking a stance against child labor and for working immigrant rights. Some of those reasons still exist today, while others do not. Workers today still seek better working hours and wages, but also seek other protections such as health and other insurances, and retirement benefits.

Yet, unions are still very prevalent in our society. The Railroad Labor Act of 1926 was the first of many legislative enactments that allowed employees to choose representatives for collective bargaining purposes. The ensuing years witnessed numerous federal laws that would advance the cause of labor unions.

Some of the key U.S. labor laws and organizations, which guide labor and management relations include:

• The National Mediation Board was established by the 1934 as an amendment to the Railway Labor Act of 1926 and facilitates the resolution of labor-management disputes in the rail and airline industries.
• The National Labor Relations Act of 1935 is one of the foundational labor laws in the United States, guaranteeing the right of private sector employees to organize into trade unions, engage in collective bargaining for better terms and conditions at work, and take collective action including strike if necessary. This act also created the National Labor Relations Board, which is responsible for enforcing US labor law in relation to collective bargaining and unfair labor practices.
• The Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA) banned oppressive child labor and set the minimum hourly wage at 25 cents, and the maximum workweek at 44 hours.
• Founded in 1947, the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS) is an independent agency of the U.S. government that prevents or settles disputes between labor unions and management that affect interstate commerce.
• Provided standards with respect to labor organization elections as well as for the disclosing and reporting  financial transactions and administrative practices of labor organizations. 
• Created by the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978, the Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA) is an independent agency of the United States government which governs labor relations between the federal government and its employees. 

References:

Adler, J. (2006). The past as prologue? A brief history of the labor movement in the United States. Public Personnel Management, 35(4), 311-329.

Cohen, R. M. (2017). The New Fight for Labor Rights. New Republic, 248(10), 6-8.

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