Basics
The main goal of a trade union.
To protect and improve workers’ wages and conditions.
When workers stop working to pressure the employer.
Strike
What unions usually want to raise
Wages
When employers hire new workers during a strike
Strikebreakers
One benefit unions can bring to workers
Higher wages
What collective bargaining aims to achieve
A negotiated agreement between workers and employers
Workers slow down production without stopping completely
Go-slow
One non-wage thing unions commonly negotiate
Working conditions (any: safety, hours, breaks)
When employers prevent workers from entering the workplace
Lockout
One benefit unions can bring to employers
Better communication with workers
What a “closed shop” requires
All workers join the union to work there
Workers refuse overtime or extra tasks
Work-to-rule
Why unions want written agreements with employers
To make terms clear and enforceable
A peaceful employer response where they simply refuse union demands
Non-cooperation / refusing to negotiate further
One possible disadvantage of unions for workers
Paying membership fees
The workplace representative who deals with management
Shop steward
Workers stand outside workplace to discourage entry
Picketing
The effect on a firm’s costs when unions negotiate higher pay
Labor costs increase
When employers rearrange tasks or machinery to rely less on labor
Increasing mechanization
One disadvantage unions can cause for employers
Strikes disrupt production
The economic condition that makes unions most effective at raising wages without causing unemployment.
Inelastic demand for labor.
The union action used when workers refuse to handle certain tasks or machines but continue working normally otherwise
Selective action / selective strike
The type of unemployment that can happen if union wages are pushed above what the market can support
Real-wage unemployment
When an employer tries to deal with workers individually instead of through the union
Bypassing the union / individual bargaining
One way unions can help reduce workplace problems without striking
Negotiating/mediating disputes with management