Comparative Analysis of Two US Labour Organizations

This essay provides a comparative analysis of two prominent labour unions in the United States: the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and the United Steelworkers. The paper begins by outlining the historical context of labour unions in the US, emphasizing the role of the National Labour Relations Act in protecting employee rights. The essay delves into the SEIU, detailing its establishment, diverse membership across healthcare, property services, and public services, and its financial status, including challenges related to pension funds and political interference. The essay then examines the United Steelworkers, highlighting its representation of various industries, recent wage negotiations, and the impact of trade policies. The paper concludes by underscoring the crucial role of labour unions in setting educational standards, wages, and working conditions, while also acknowledging the challenges these organizations face, such as financial strains and political influences. The analysis draws on several scholarly sources to support its arguments.

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Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note
The labour organisation in the USA represent millions of workers. The US
Department of labor’s Office of Labor-Management Standards is the one who is responsible
for enforcing as well as administering several provisions regarding the management of labor.
Many laws were devised to ensure fiscal responsibility and democratic standards in the labor
organisation that represented employees in a private industry (Blanton, Robert and Dursun).
It was the Congress who implemented National Labour Relations Act in 1935 to preserve and
protect the rights of employees as well as employers, to limit some of the practices in the
labour and management sector that would harm the welfare of the workers as well as the US
economy (Cowie). The essay aims to discuss two labour unions regarding their financial as
well as social status.
One such labour organisation in the USA is Service Employee International Union,
that has over two million workers who are united by a belief in the worth as well as dignity of
the workers. SEIU was established in 23rd April, 1921 in Chicago and aim to provide service
to the workers and improve their working condition along with their family members that
would create a just and equal society (Minchin). They divided the worker’s organisation into
three sectors such as health care, property services and public services. It has more than 150
local branches. To reflect its diversified membership the union in 1968 renamed it as SEIU.
The latter is statistically considered to be one of the most powerful and fastest growing union
in the USA (Minchin). They have kept growing because of the innovations as well as
transformations that they had included in their organisation. Its membership has increased

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from 1.2 million in 2002 to 2.2. million till date. They have also come up with a new proposal
that will unite the janitors with the security guard that will be dominated by African-
American labour force. Due to this move they have garnered a lot of attention from the public
(Kyoung).
The SEIU get their finances from SEIU benefit funds that ensures welfare and helath
benefits for their employees. Their financial reports consists of receipts as well as expenses of
that particular financial year. However the funds of SEIU are exhausting however its
financial conditions are still good. They organize their income statement as well as bank
balances. In future too they will work for the dignity of their workers as well as the services
that they provide. It also intends to improve the working condition of the workers as well as
their families that would create a humane society. One of the major issues faced by SEIU is
that their financial conditions have worsened (Ginder). The pension of the employees are also
at risk where the government has decided not to pay pension to the workers. The strategy of
the union has declined. If they are unable to build a political power to protect their jobs then
they hold the government responsible for these acts (Ginder). They also face a lot of
interference from political parties due to which they are unable to work efficiently.
On the other hand there is another union in the US with the name of United
Steelworkers where workers represent a diverse range of industries that includes primary as
well as fabricated materials, glass, paper, rubber, and other healthcare items. It also consists
of retired members of throughout the US, Canada and the Caribbean. They represent the
factory workers, municipal employees, nurses, firefighters, clerical and public utility workers
and also construction workers (Hoffman, Richard and Marvin). The United Steelworkers is
an excellent organisation that aims at serving their community as well as their members.
They offer competitive benefits, compensation as well as benefits. It is currently affiliated to
AFL-CIO in the US as well as Canadian Labour Congress in many union federations that are

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established internationally. They have also formed strategic alliances with many other unions
and groups. Recently they have negotiated with a company and are expecting to see a jump in
their wages that has not happened in the last six years. The rise in payment clearly shows that
US President’s clampdown regarding foreign trade is slowly trickling down (Clark, Peter, and
Donald). Now the workers will get an increase of 14% on wage that was earlier frozen.
Steelmakers have to share their profits that they make with their workers. The union will also
get a bonus as well as a share in the profit that the company will be making. Their major
intention is to work in every industry and spread awareness about their related field. Their
primary aim is to fight for better and safe workplaces that would give them a better life that
will further make a better world. Trump’s taxation policy has triggered a lot of actions but at
the same time has saved the industry by imposing 25% tariffs (Fletcher). They are not always
interfered by political parties however some of their policies affect the strategies as well as
vision of the United Steelworkers in the US. Furthermore, there are other issues that is faced
by the union. One such issue is that though the import has turned the fortunes of the US Steel
workers it has not resolved the competitive problem of the organisation. Their profit margin
is below the average rate of the industry (Fletcher). The organisation further has the lowest
dividend when compared to their rivals. The steel prices too have fallen that has become a
concern for the organisation as the prices are at its peak. Furthermore, demand from auto-
industry is also expected to slow down.
To conclude it must be noted that labour unions are very crucial for a country. It helps
in setting educational standards, wages, quality of the life of the workers as well as their
working conditions. It provides a lot of protection than the one that is provided by the state as
well as the federal laws. The above two unions that has been discussed has contributed a lot
for the welfare of the workers as well as their families. Till date they have not diverted from
their mission and continues with the same vision of safeguarding the rights of the workers.

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Works Cited
Blanton, Robert G., and Dursun Peksen. "Economic liberalisation, market institutions and
labour rights." European Journal of Political Research 55.3 (2016): 474-491.
Clark, Paul F., Peter Gottlieb, and Donald Kennedy, eds. Forging a union of steel: Philip
Murray, SWOC, and the United Steelworkers. Cornell University Press, 2018.
Cowie, Jefferson. "Reframing the New Deal: The past and future of American labor and the
law." Theoretical Inquiries in Law 17.1 (2016): 13-38.
Fletcher, Rebecca Adkins. "The social life of health behaviors: The political economy and
cultural context of health practices." Economic Anthropology 4.2 (2017): 213-224.
Ginder, Scott A., Janice E. Kelly-Reid, and Farrah B. Mann. "Enrollment and Employees in
Postsecondary Institutions, Fall 2016; and Financial Statistics and Academic
Libraries, Fiscal Year 2016. First Look (Provisional Data). NCES 2018-
002." National Center for Education Statistics (2017).
Hoffman, Richard C., and Marvin O. Brown. "Employee ownership and union labor: the case
of United Steel Workers of America." Labor History 58.3 (2017): 350-371.
Minchin, Timothy J. "A successful union in an era of decline: interrogating the growth of the
Service Employees International Union, 1980-1995." Labor History (2020): 1-20.
Yu, Kyoung-Hee. "Inclusive unionism: Strategies for retaining idealism in the Service
Employees International Union." Journal of Industrial Relations 61.1 (2019): 33-56.