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A '''trade union''' is an organization of workers created to improve working conditions. Unions are often targeted and suppressed by [[Capitalism|capitalists]] in order to increase [[Profit|profits]] at the expense of the workers. | |||
== By country == | == By country == | ||
=== United Kingdom === | === United Kingdom === | ||
Several rudimentary political unions were formed in the 1830s and 1840s, with noteworthy causes including the [[Merthyr Rising]] and the [[Tolpuddle Martyrs]]. However, one of the first proper trade | Several rudimentary political unions were formed in the 1830s and 1840s, with noteworthy causes including the [[Merthyr Rising]] and the [[Tolpuddle Martyrs]]. However, one of the first proper trade union to be established was the [[Amalgamated Society of Engineers]] in 1851. The formation of several similar "amalgamated" unions representing different industries followed.<ref>{{News citation|author=Workers Party of Britain|newspaper=YouTube|title=Trade Unionism in Britain – Past, Present, ...Future?|date=2022-04-22|url=https://youtu.be/kZRH5dY9UN4}}</ref> Trade union activity peaked in the 1970s, culminating in the 1984 miners' strike, and has since witnessed a decline in membership from a peak of 13.2 million in 1979 to 6.6 million in 2019.<ref>{{Citation|author=Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy|year=2021|title=Trade union statistics 2020|title-url=https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/trade-union-statistics-2020}}</ref> Historically, the relationship of Britain's trade unions to the [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]] has been a key point of contention, and while the biggest trade unions remain affiliated to the party, in 2022 some of most militant unions either remained unaffiliated or were considering disaffiliation.<ref>{{News citation|author=Mason Boycott-Owen|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph|title=Keir Starmer is not on the side of workers, says RMT chief|date=2022-05-29|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2022/05/29/rail-unions-consider-leaving-labour-behind-keir-starmer-not/}}</ref> | ||
=== United States === | === United States === | ||
The first nationwide union in the [[United States of America|United States]] was the [[Knights of Labor]], which was later replaced by the [[American Federation of Labor]]. Many unions were targeted by the [[Pinkerton National Detective Agency|Pinkerton detective agency]].<ref name=":0">{{News citation|author=Colin Hanner|newspaper=Unit|title=A brief history of union-busting|date=2021-05-14|url=https://guide.unitworkers.com/a-brief-history-of-union-busting/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210620150631/https://guide.unitworkers.com/a-brief-history-of-union-busting/|archive-date=2021-06-20|retrieved=2022-06-01}}</ref | The first nationwide union in the [[United States of America|United States]] was the [[Knights of Labor]], which was later replaced by the [[American Federation of Labor]]. Many unions were targeted by the [[Pinkerton National Detective Agency|Pinkerton detective agency]].<ref name=":0">{{News citation|author=Colin Hanner|newspaper=Unit|title=A brief history of union-busting|date=2021-05-14|url=https://guide.unitworkers.com/a-brief-history-of-union-busting/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210620150631/https://guide.unitworkers.com/a-brief-history-of-union-busting/|archive-date=2021-06-20|retrieved=2022-06-01}}</ref> In 1983, 16.2% of private sector workers were unionized; by 2020, the percentage had decreased to 6.3%, even though 65% of people support unionization.<ref>{{News citation|author=Megan Brenan|newspaper=Gallup|title=At 65%, Approval of Labor Unions in U.S. Remains High|date=2020-09-03|url=https://news.gallup.com/poll/318980/approval-labor-unions-remains-high.aspx|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220514192933/https://news.gallup.com/poll/318980/approval-labor-unions-remains-high.aspx|archive-date=2022-05-14|retrieved=2022-06-01}}</ref> Many companies, including [[Amazon (company)|Amazon]], [[Google]], [[Nissan]], [[Tesla]], [[Trader Joe's]], and [[Walmart]] have taken a side against unions.<ref name=":0" /> | ||
== References == | == References == |