ESSAY: A Union Report

Instructions:

Choose a union with no less than 100,000 members. To assist you, here is an expansive list of options from which to choose.

1. Report on the union profile. How many members does the union have? How is the union’s organizational structure designed? In what industry(ies) does the union operate? How long has the union been in existence? Etc. (approximately 250 words for this section).

2. Report on a minimum of three (3) legal disputes in which the union has been involved in the last 10-15 years (approximately 250 words for each dispute). For each dispute, discuss:

a. Who were the parties?

b. What was the nature of the dispute (i.e. what was the conflict)?

c. Were any adverse actions taken by either the union (strikes, etc.) or the employer (ULPs, etc.)?

d. How was the dispute resolved (i.e. mediation, arbitration, litigation, etc.)?

e. What was the final outcome?

ANSWER

The American Federation of Teachers (AFT) is the second largest federations representing the interests of teachers. The union was established in Chicago in the year 1916 with the founder and leader being Margaret Haley (Meador, 2017). Before the group was established, there was another precursor group which was known as the American Federation of Teachers and Students. More than half of the membership of the union is composed of people who are directly involved with matters of education with the other group composed of paraprofessionals, federal or state employees, school-related personnel, as well as others from the healthcare profession (Meador, 2017). Since its establishment, the union has merged with three other Federations; the trade union federation, the American Labor federation as well as AFL-CIO. As of 2018, the union had over one million members, with the majority being teachers. The union was established with the mandate of solving issues related to low pay as well as the restrictions that the female teachers were being subjected to. The female teachers were restricted on what they could wear even when they were outside school. They were also required to go for only three dates a week as well as teach Sunday school at their local church. In terms of structure, most teachers become automatic members after getting a teaching job (Meador, 2017). It is, however, governed by officers who are elected by members as well as delegates within the biannual convention that comes up with policies. Some of the officials…