William Green was one of the presidents who headed AFL. According to Green, the purpose of having a labor union is to ensure that the privileges of the people working in organizations are observed. This means that the labor unions are meant to seek justice for the employees. This ensures that injured employees receive compensation, working hours are favorable, and the days of work in a week are reasonable. This enables the employees to do some other domestic responsibilities. The work of the labor unions according to Green is to bargain for justice of the employees (Sloane, 2010).
John Lewis on the other hand advocated for other functions of the labor unions. According to Lewis, labor unions are meant to bring employees together such that they are able to fight for their rights. With such an organization, the labor unions are able to ensure better pay for their members. Whenever employees face certain problems, they unite, go to the streets, and pressurize their employees to meet their demand (Sloane, 2010).
I side with William Green who argues that labor unions are meant to seek for justice of the employees. This is because the proposal by Lewis is dangerous to both the employees and employers. When employees demonstrate, they risk losing their jobs. The employers on the other hand lose revenues due to interference in the production process. Williams’ strategy is better in that it helps to achieve the needs of the employees without causing much negative effect. Lewis’ idea can lead to demand for things that are not fair by the employees. The employees may demand a pay that is not reasonable if Lewis argument is adopted. However, Lewis argues that what the employees demand through labor unions is fair and just. Therefore, approach by William is better.
References.
Sloane, A.A. & Witney, F. (2010). Labor relations (13th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
