Chapter 10

Labor Union
an organization that fights for workers' rights, wages, and benefits in a particular industry

Union Dues
dues paid by workers to support the union

Union Shop
a business at which employees must join the union after a certain period of time, usually 60 or 90 days

Agency Shop
a business in which employees are not required to join a union but must pay union dues

Right-to-work Law
a state law which gives people the right to work without belonging to a union

Closed Shop
a business that hires only workers who already belong to a union

Fringe Benefit
any benefit given to workers other than wages, such as vacation pay, sick leave, pensions, & so forth

Collective Bargaining
a process by which management & labor reach agreements through negotiation & compromise

Strike
a work stoppage by labor to win terms of an agreement

Scab Laborer
a worker who crosses a picket line to do the job of a striking worker

Boycott
the refusal to buy goods or services until an agreement is reached

Lockout
the closing of a business by management to force workers to accept the term of an agreement

Arbitration
a process by which an outside party decides the terms of an agreement that must be accepted by both sides in a labor dispute

why were labor unions formed in the US?

• to improve working conditions
• higher/fair pay 

What are 3 kinds of union memberships?

• Union shop - new employees join a union after 60 or 90 days
• Agency shop - employees do not have to join the union,
• but still have to pay union dues 
• Closed shop - a business that only hires workers who already belong
• to a union 

What 3 ways do labor & managemnt reach agreement?

• lockout - company closes doors to workers
• collective bargaining - state goals & work it out
• arbitration -must be accepted by both sides 

What are current labor trends today?
Many unions are to maintain existing worker benefits (health care). Others offer retraining for displaced workers. Fewer jobs caused lost membership to the unions, as well as unions changing for the people.