Unionization is the process by which employees form trade unions in various industries. It has been a practice in business and trade since the Middle Ages. Trade unions enable workers to demand fair wages, safe working conditions, and reasonable working hours, among other benefits (Freeman & Kleiner, 1990). In the 21st century, with companies and businesses achieving record-breaking profits, unionization has become even more important to ensure workers are protected. The text that follows will give examples of labor exploitation and denying workers their rights.
Framing & Perspectives
Evidence of the earliest trade union can be found in the UK, dating back to the 1800s. Before the Industrial Revolution, guilds were the predecessors of unions, created in the interest of traders and artisans to ensure proper payment and minimum wages, manage working hours and apprenticeships, and standardization of practices (Kennan, 2020). Often, these guilds and later unions were backed by religious organizations, which meant that they would offer labor protection mostly to white men, excluding women, people of color, and immigrants.
In the 20th century, many questions were raised about the effectiveness of unions. Many members would report lesser job satisfaction, which was used as evidence by employers to shut down said unions. However, these employees could only complain about work conditions because they were protected by union laws (Hipp & Givan, 2015).
In the US, labor and trade unions are commonly found in the public sector or among blue-collar workers (Sandroff, 2025). Unions and labor laws also contributed to the country’s ban on child labor in the 20th century. The outlook and support for unions change with every presidential term. In the past, Obama encouraged the unions but failed to pass bills to support the movement. Since the beginning of his second term, Trump has ordered several layoffs and purges in governmental organizations. He publicly stated his stance against unions and strikes (Communications Workers of America, n.d.).
In Europe, countries with high living standards, such as Finland, Denmark, and Sweden, have the highest union density – the proportion of current union members to the total labor force. Due to these unions and the pre-existing laws, more usually un- or low-protected jobs, such as fast-food workers, have equal access to livable wages, paid time off, and healthcare benefits in many countries (Evon, 2021).
During the British colonial rule, Indian workers were underpaid and faced undignified working conditions. Within that regime, a few workers’ unions were formed in production-heavy regions of the country. Since independence, India has gone through several developments in workers’ rights, including the introduction of women workers’ rights and supporting organisations. However, new additions to laws and organizations are essential as new occupations and industries form. However, with growing migration patterns, especially in the 21st century, unionization has become more complex (Marino et al., 2015). The transient nature of migrant workers creates a barrier to forming proper trade union rules and regulations. Many trade unions are primarily concerned with and protect the national workforce, but have now begun to include the rights of migrant workers, such as in the UK, South Korea, Turkey, etc (International Trade Union Confederation, 2023).
Relevance
After COVID-19, the economy has taken a significant downturn. Many industries saw layoffs and the use of AI to replace some workforces. In 2023, the WGA strike was organized by the American Writers Guild and was supported by other organizations, such as SAG-AFTRA (Blake & Villarreal, 2023). Since 2022, all Starbucks store locations in Ithaca, New York, have been unionized. After a few months, the company shut down all the said stores, citing various reasons (Chen, 2023). Starbucks and other fast food restaurants in America have discouraged employees from forming workers’ unions, assuming that one of the factors for the shutdown might have been the unionization of employees. Another example of workers fighting for their rights and adequate wages is Amazon warehouse employees (Fanger, 2025). Amazon has become an infamous company for workers’ rights and dignity. Many workers were not allowed any bathroom breaks and were forced to relieve themselves in plastic bottles while they worked in the warehouse, fearing that they would be penalized for ‘idle’ time (Ghosh, 2018). While cafeterias are equipped with air conditioning, many employees do not take breaks as they aim to hit their daily targets, which are almost impossible to achieve (Jha, 2024).
In this modern-day scenario, where the number of billionaires is increasing globally, one must wonder if their net worth is built solely on their ideas and entrepreneurial spirit or on the millions of workers they employ who work under inhumane conditions. Unionization is an essential step to achieving ideal working conditions and employee rights and should be fought for globally.
Keywords: Capitalism, Labor Market, Workers’ Rights, Free Market, Labor
Connected terms: Waves of Classical Feminism, Classical Feminisms, Job Polarization, Housewifization, Data Activism
References
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Chen, M. (2023, May 25). Starbucks closes its Ithaca locations one year after workers unionized | The Nation. The Nation. https://www.thenation.com/article/activism/starbucks-closes-its-ithaca-locations-one-year-after-workers-unionized/
Communications Workers of America. (n.d.). Trump’s Anti-Worker Record. https://cwa-union.org/trumps-anti-worker-record
Evon, D. (2021, March 3). Do McDonald’s workers in Denmark make $22 an hour? Snopes. https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/mcdonalds-workers-denmark/
Fanger, E. (2025, February 13). How Amazon is taking its Union-Busting to new heights. The Nation. https://www.thenation.com/article/activism/amazon-union-busting-north-carolina/
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Ghosh, S. (2018, May 2). Undercover author finds Amazon warehouse workers in UK “peed in bottles” over fears of being punished for taking a break. Business Insider. https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-warehouse-workers-have-to-pee-into-bottles-2018-4
Hipp, L., & Givan, R. K. (2015). What Do Unions Do? A Cross-National Reexamination of the Relationship between Unionization and Job Satisfaction. Social Forces, 94(1), 349–377. https://doi.org/10.1093/sf/sov051
International Trade Union Confederation. (2023, December 15). Trade unions in action for the rights of migrant workers. https://www.ituc-csi.org/Trade-unions-in-action-for-migrant-workers
Jha, S. (2024, December 2). Amazon faces Indian court scrutiny for labour conditions at warehouse. Al Jazeera. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/11/30/amazon-faces-indian-court-scrutiny-for-labour-conditions-at-warehouse
Kennan, C. (2020, February 5). The trade unions of the Middle Ages. People’s History Museum. https://phm.org.uk/blogposts/the-trade-unions-of-the-middle-ages/
Marino, S., Penninx, R. & Roosblad, J. Trade unions, immigration and immigrants in Europe revisited: Unions’ attitudes and actions under new conditions. CMS 3, 1 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40878-015-0003-x
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Sandroff, R. (2025, February 24). The history of unions in the United States. Investopedia. https://www.investopedia.com/financial-edge/0113/the-history-of-unions-in-the-united-states.aspx#toc-unions-today
Upadhyaya, S. (2022). Evolution of Trade Unions in India. In V.V. Giri National Labour Institute (No. 978-93-82902-92–8). V.V. Giri National Labour Institute. https://vvgnli.gov.in/sites/default/files/Evolution%20of%20Trade%20Unions%20in%20India.pdf
