How has civil rights legislation impacted the collective bargaining process?

The Impact of Civil Rights Legislation on Workers and the

Collective Bargaining Process

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January 4 , 2007

Table of Contents

Introduction 3

Concept of Civil Rights 6

The Early Years of American Labor 7

The Condition of Unions and Workers Today 14

Conclusion 21

Bibliography 23

Introduction

The government following the principle of laissez-faire which in essence states that the functions of the state should be limited to internal police and foreign protection - no public education , no limitation of hours of labor

, no welfare legislation - adopted a neutral view of the situation between the labor and the management ( The Beginnings of American Labor Movement ' 1 ) They refused to interfere on the conflicts involving both the employers and the employees . The relationship between the labor and the management was seen as a private matter which should not be intervened by the government and should left to both these parties to address

Because of this attitude by the government on the relations between the labor and management , conflict began to escalate in labor-intensive enterprises . With the inequality in the position between the employers and the employees , the latter found themselves overworked yet underpaid Laborers were forced to work too many hours - 12 to 14 hours - for too little money barely enough to sustain their needs and the needs of their family . They were being forced to work on dangerous conditions often exposed to the possibility of injuries or deaths because of accidents in the workplace . There was no protection given to them by the government despite working under these conditions

Racial discrimination was widely prevalent . The tension had been existing even decades before . This tension was at its peak in the 17th Century when there was one black slave for every four white . Because of this growing number of black slaves and the cheap services they offered thousands of whites were displaced from their employment and suffered poverty . Because of these tensions and the weariness that someday these slaves will start an uprising against the whites , laws were passed against them . Their movements were restricted . They were severely punished for every commission of an offense , even if it was a minor infraction . They were mistreated and were given little or no rights at all . As a result , in April 1712 , two dozen slaves burned buildings in New York and used guns , axes and swords to attack those who tried to put out the blaze . The slaves killed or wounded twenty whites before the police arrested them . More than twenty slaves were tried for treason and murder . Harsh penalty was imposed against those who found guilty It is widely held that these acts of discrimination culminated in the event which happened in 1741 which was known as the Slave Conspiracy

This discrimination continued even in the 19th Century . The landmark case of Plessy v . Fergusson (163 U .S . 537 , 16 S . Ct . 1138 , 41 L . Ed 256 ) is eloquent on this issue when the Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of a...