Cross Currents Home
Search:
Resources | About Us | 日本語サイト
Home Learn About Japan Learn About Japan-U.S. Cross Currents Learn About the U.S.

Older photo of men holding signs on strike.
Labor Unions
  1. U.S. Labor Unions in the 1940s
  2. U.S. Unions in the Cold War
  3. Public worker unions in the United States
  4. Decline in Strike Activity in the US
  5. Union Membership Across the United States
  6. Right-to-Work Laws
  7. Types of Unions in the United States
  8. The AFL-CIO
  9. Labor Contracts in the United States
  10. Strikes in the United States
  11. What Happens During a Strike
  12. Long Strikes and Violence
  13. The 1964 Civil Rights Act
  14. Union Campaign Contributions and Political Influence
  15. Unions and Politics
  16. U.S. Unions in the 90s and Today
  17. Important U.S. Labor Leaders: George Meany
  18. Important U.S. Labor Leaders: John L. Lewis
  19. Important U.S. Labor Leaders: Walter Reuther
  20. Important U.S. Labor Leaders: A. Philip Randolph
  21. Important U.S. Labor Leaders: Jimmy Hoffa
  22. Important U.S. Labor Leaders: Caesar Chavez
Listen in English English | Japanese Japanese View Article in English | Japanese
Striking workers chant during a protest.
Safeway grocery store workers strike in California, 1995.
Photo from David Bacon.
Labor Contracts in the United States
Management and union leaders meet periodically to negotiate a labor contract. This contract details the obligations a company has towards its workers, such as the wages and benefits workers will receive as well as the conditions under which they will work. The contract also spells out the obligations a worker has toward his or her employer, such as coming to work on time and working in a productive manner. Contracts are good for a specified number of years. When that contract expires, a new one must be negotiated. If labor and management cannot agree on the terms of a contract, union leaders may call for a strike vote. Labor laws govern when a union can call a strike. Once a strike begins, production stops until the sides agree to a new contract.
Special Terms: strike  |  contract

Download Podcast in English | Japanese
Document | Audio-Video | Chart | Picture | Map