Union Influence in America

Union 's role in employee benefits in the US

Trade union activity in America had been associated with the early settlements of America . Guilds or associations of carpenters , cobblers and other tradesmen temporarily appeared along colonial American cities who also played a considerable role in the independence struggle Disguised carpenters actively participated and played a crucial role in the Boston Tea Party of 1773 . In 1794 , the printers became the first to go on strike in New York , demanding shorter working hours and better pay . The cabinet makers followed in 1796 , the

carpenters in Philadelphia followed them a year later in 1797 and the cordwainers took to striking in 1799 (SSHC ,1996 . Most of these unions couldn 't sustain for long , as employers claimed these union to be illegal and planed conspiracies attempting to raise wages beyond those agreed by other workers . Taking to negotiation or strikes became more common in the early 19th century to improve workers conditions . By the mid 19th century , a Massachusetts court ruled that the attempts of unions cannot be illegal as long as their objectives were lawful , which was a landmark case for the efforts of the union , as it set the ground for similar hearings for other courts and facilitated growth and development of unions (Chaison , 2006

Several unions were attempting to reduce work hours from 12 to 10 in the 1920s . There was also a strong desire among people to form a federation which would facilitate achieving the aspirations of the working people Several local unions developed with increasing perception of the power of employers , by the mid 19th century . In several cities , unions in various trades joined to form city level federations . In 1866 , The National Labor Union (NLU ) was formed which was a consortium of local unions . The NLU forced the Congress and ultimately succeeded in bringing the eight hour work time for Federal workers . The eight hour work day was achieved after several violent and bloody clashes associated with lengthy strikes . It became the foundation for the 40 hour-5 day week in the US , although it was not extended to all workers across all industries . It was also not legally mandated though the `Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA ) of 1938 required a half pay for certain groups of workers who exceed eight hours on a particular day or exceed 40 hours on a given week . This facilitated bringing in laws by certain states which required overtime payments to workers and professions that are not covered by the federal act

The National Labor Relations Act (NLRA ) was passed by the Congress in July 1935 to provide employees their right to self organization . Backed by government support under President Roosevelt , making a significant departure from earlier policies , labor organizations like the American federation of Labor and the Congress of Industrial Organizations undertook massive country wide campaigning . The wages and Hours Act of 1938 , sought to implement a minimum wages of 25 cents a hour for industrial workers corresponding to a 40...