Unions, and Global Union Trends

Union officials claim, as many as 44 million workers in America would join a union if they had a chance, but employers routinely block attempts to form unions. Increasingly, elected leaders, community groups and religious leaders are demanding that companies stop breaking the law and hindering workers' efforts to form unions. In 1935, Congress passed the National Labor Relations Act, giving workers the right to form unions and negotiate contracts with their employers. Under the law, workers have the right to express their views on unions, to talk with their co-workers, attend union meetings and to decide for themselves whether they want union representation, without interference by the employer. To combat the union advocates, employers often force workers to attend mandatory meetings, presenting anti-union presentations. Under the law, it is perfectly legal for employers to discipline or even fire workers for failing to attend these meetings, and workers who support the union can be forbidden to attend.…