What is a union and what is its purpose?

Answer 1

A union is any organization consisting of two or more people. A labor union is an organization consisting of two or more workers. For example, there is a plumber's union, an electrician's union, an auto worker's union and many more. Labor unions serve two purposes. First, they negotiate salaries with the management. And second, they defend a member when he is mistreated by a vindictive boss. By having the union negotiate salaries, each individual does not personally need to ask for a raise. Instead, the union does that. By having the union keep vindictive bosses in line, individuals do not need to fear absolute jerks in managerial positions. (In this regard, the labor unions sometimes do stockholders a favor. Boards sometimes become enamored with a jerk like "chainsaw," who promises to come in and clean out the dead wood. Instead, he destroys the company and all stockholder equity. He walks away from the company with a "golden parachute." When a board knows the union will protect the workers from such an idiot, there is no danger they will hire him to run the company into the ground. The states of the United States joined together in a union. That was a political union. The states joined with each other. One purpose of creating a union was to keep a foreign power from conquering the individual states on at a time because an attack on one meant an attack against all. Another reason was to have a forum to settle squabbles between the states. A union could do that.

A number of countries in Europe have created "The European Union." It began as a free trade zone but has become an area with some laws uniform.

Answer 2

Unions are formed to protect the rights of workers and bargain in good faith with management.