Labor movement is a term that refers to the efforts of workers as a group to improve their economic position. The movement consists chiefly of attempts by labor unions to promote the welfare of wage earners. But political parties and other groups have also played a part in the labor movement.
Before the development of labor unions, individual laborers had almost no voice in determining their wages, hours, or working conditions. There was a plentiful supply of labor, and employers could easily replace any worker who threatened to quit. The competition for jobs forced poor people to work under almost any conditions.
Workers formed unions because their bargaining power as a group was greater than that of individuals. If all the employees in a factory or other business stopped work, it would be difficult to replace them. But early unions faced strong opposition. Courts regarded the first attempts at group bargaining as illegal, and employers refused to recognize unions as the representatives of workers.
In the United States, the labor movement began to be more widely accepted during the 1930's. The National Labor Relations Act of 1935 and other laws required employers to bargain with unions. By 1945, more than a third of all nonagricultural laborers were union members. Today, organized labor is still a powerful economic force, even though the percentage of workers who belong to a union has declined sharply. The highest percentage of union members are in construction, manufacturing, mining, and transportation industries.
The labor movement, along with economic progress, has given workers a higher standard of living. Compared to past laborers, modern workers earn higher wages, work shorter hours, are better protected against accidents, and receive more fringe benefits. However, some people believe that unions are too large and too powerful.
In the United States and Canada, union goals and activities are much alike. The labor movement in most other countries differs greatly from that in these two nations.
