The Battle for Wal-Mart

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The Battle for Wal-Mart

Two centuries ago , the government adopted a laissez faire policy towards the relationship between employers and the employees . This principle meant that it maintained a neutral view of the situation between the labor and the management ( The Beginnings of American Labor Movement ' 2 ) Because employer-employee relationship was seen as a private matter between the parties , it refused to interfere on conflicts , controversies and issues governing hours , wages , and terms and conditions of employment . Any conflict between the employers and

employees were left to the disputing parties to decide

The Labor Movement in the 18th Century

As the interest of both employers and the employees are in contrast with each other , conflict began to escalate in labor-intensive enterprises . In view of the unequal position between the employers and the employees , the latter found themselves being overworked yet underpaid . Laborers were forced to work too many hours - 12 to 14 hours - for very little money . They were forced to work on dangerous conditions often exposed to the possibility of accidents or even death Racial discrimination was widely prevalent as the blacks found it very difficult to find employment or received lesser pay compared to their white counterparts . Majority of the workers also were not receiving health , insurance and retirement benefits

Conditions of workers started to improve only when labor started to organize . Although it is true that worker organizations had been in existence as soon as factories were built , these organizations created no impact since their operations were mostly localized (Robert D Feinman 2 ) Their actions and operations were mainly unorganized and uncoordinated (Robert D . Feinman , 2

The American Labor Movement in the 20th Century Onwards

During the 20th Century , unions became true organizations and became the real representative of the employees as they started to unionize not only workers but even unions as well . Organizations like American Federation of Labor (AFL ) and Industrial Workers of the World (IWW ) were created which had thousands of members . Collective action had thus become easier for the workers who had suddenly increased in number and had greater bargaining power

After all the years of struggles for and in behalf of the working man the unions and federations have become an institution in our country As an institution which fought for the welfare of the working class they have significantly contributed to the improvement of the compensation and the work lives of both unionized and non-unionized workers . Unions and federations have become instrumental in creating full employment , stronger employment rights and giving protection against discrimination and prejudice in the workplace (John Hutton 1 )The Battle for Wal-Mart Point of View of the Employers

Unfortunately , however , some companies are against the existence of unions . These companies consider unions as very costly and prejudicial to their interest . As a result , they exhaust all means , i .e , monitor the activities of employees , make applicants sign a contract saying that they will never form or join unions once they are hired...