Jim Macaroni

Unions protect workers from various company abuses such as unsafe/uncomfortable working conditions, long hours, arbitrary hiring & firing, and so on. In a rough economy, with workers needing their paychecks to pay for mortgages, food, car payments, etc., employers hold a lot of power in the employer-employee relationship. Consequently, management can pretty much set the rules on work environment. They can set impractical hours, create unrealistic work quotas, require work on holidays, fire & hire based on personalities, and so on. One individual often has very little bargaining power since they can easily be replaced. However, a group of abused employees can ban together to prevent management from carrying out such abuses. Unions became popular during the Great Depression, when a terrible economy allowed employers to essentially treat employees however they wanted. One of the most terrible work environments in American history was the result before unions came along. READ MORE