-Scholarly details on the emergence of Labor Union (including the Labor union of Liberia) -Effect of the union on unemployment

2.  My view on labor unions are normally predicated
on already existing economic theory. Demand side
economists normally support unions, while supply
side economists do not.
 The basic variable is the market as a rational
system of relations. If you believe the market
always makes rational decisions about wage and
price allocation then unions are seen as market
distorters. If you believe on the contrary that the
market is not always fair and, therefore, irrational
then unions are normally seen as necessary. 2

3.  A labor union is a group of employees in a certain
company or with a certain skill who unite in a single body
for purposes of negotiating wages, benefits, working
conditions, and other issues with management.
 The labor force is the actual number of people available for
work; economists use the labor force participation rate to
determine the unemployment rate.
 Unemployment occurs when people are without work and
are actively seeking employment.
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4.  When speaking in terms of a labor theory of
value, value, without any qualifying adjective
should theoretically refer to the amount of labor
necessary to the production of a marketable
commodity, including the labor necessary to the
development of any real capital employed in the
production.
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5.  Supply side economists hold that the market is the most
rational institution in economic life. There is a market for
labor just as there is a market for goods and services.
Workers get paid what the market requires at any given
time, skills are marketable objects. To "artificially" raise
wages is to distort the market and invite unemployment.
 Demand side economists argue that markets create
unemployment on their own, and generally cannot use all
the skills available to it. Therefore, unions are necessary
because they protect the rights of workers, raise pay and
benefits and force employers to be fairer. This reduces
unemployment because these higher wages are spent and
create jobs. 5

6.  The Positive Effect of Unions
Those arguing for the importance of labor unions normally want to see demand
stimulated by higher wages. Economists Lawrence Mishel and Matthew
Walters of the Economic Policy Institute hold that unions increase wages by a
factor of almost 18 percent. Union members have better benefits, more time
off, better health plans and pension plans. In general, unions do better with
lower skilled workers than others, and hence eliminate some inequality.
Unions also improve benefits rather than wages more markedly, but all of this
ends up spurring demand and improving the economic life of all union
members. The point is that those arguing for unions hold that the economic
affect is to stimulate demand, create contented workers and equalize labor
with management.
 The Negative Effect of Unions
Economists Richard Vedder and Lowell Galloway, writing in the "Journal of
Labor Research," argue that unions are destructive. In general, their argument
is that unions harm productivity. Unions are directly responsible for the
destruction of the American automotive, mining and steel industries since
their demands and lack of productivity forced many firms to relocate overseas
or invite foreign competition. Regardless of the material improvements of
labor within unions, the aggregate effect has been totally negative. 6

7.  Labor unions were originally created to protect
their workers and ensure they receive a fair wage
and benefits for their job. Unfortunately, when the
economy declines most unions are not willing to
make concessions and accept lower pay for their
members thereby keeping prices unnecessarily
high and reducing the amount of work offered to
their members.
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8. Labor unions became a major force in the United States in the late 19th and
early 20th centuries. Throughout the first half of the 20th century, union
membership in the United States increased, and unions became important
influences in improving wages, benefits and workplace safety.
 Benefits of Membership
A 2003 study by EPI found that unions raise wages for their members by
about 20 percent over their non-unionized counterparts. In addition, union
members are more likely to receive health coverage, paid vacation and other
benefits from their employers. EPI added that unions help reduce wage
inequality by helping to raise average wages for blue collar workers, low- and
middle-income workers, and workers who do not have college degrees.
 Effects on Non-Union Shops
The benefits of organized labor, however, are not limited to union members
themselves. EPI reported in 2008 that union influence exerts pressure on
employers to raise the wages of non-union employees as a way to prevent
unionization.
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9.  The Labor Congress of Liberia (LCL), formed in 1951, was the first
significant trade union. Following the first major strike in 1955, the
LCL leadership was arrested and the union dissolved. In 1958, it was
revived under the leadership of the Ministry for Social Affairs and
functioned mainly as a government organ. As a protest against
government interference in the LCL, the Congress of Industrial
Organizations of Liberia (CIOL) was organized in 1960. The Liberian
Federation of Labor Unions was formed in 1980 by a merger of the
LCL and CIOL. In 2002, there were a total of 30 functioning unions
with a total of 60,000 members, most of whom were unemployed.
Despite their organized strength, unions have little actual power.
There are minimum working ages, statutory minimum wages and
occupational safety and health standards but none of these are
effectively enforced. Child labor laws are similarly not enforced,
especially in rural areas. Most people engage in any work available
despite wages or conditions.
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10. The Labor Laws in Liberia are written on the books, but do
not affect much of the workforce of Liberia. Much is
needed to be done so that the workforce can be aware that
there is a Law to run to when taken advantage of.
A labor union is a group of employees in a certain
company or with a certain skill who unite in a single body
for purposes of negotiating wages, benefits, working
conditions, and other issues with management. Members
of an organized labor group must ratify decisions made by
their representatives with management.
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11.  www.boundless.com
 www.clevelandfed.org/.../wp8601
 www.heritage.org/.../what-unions-do-ho
 www.jstor.org/stable/2534885ý
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