Study guides · Stuff Every Labor Scout Should Know
Practice facts for the American Labor merit badge. Not an official Scouting America credential. Grab a snack: this guide is the friendly version, with the answers explained and a groan-worthy joke waiting at the end of most cards.
Knowing Labor Scout saves you money, time and the occasional embarrassment.
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Short answer: Improve members' pay and working conditions
Unions exist to maintain or improve employment conditions like wages, benefits, and safety.
Groan of the day: Unions really know how to bargain for attention.
Sources: Trade union
Short answer: Dues
Union dues are regularly imposed fees that fund head office and legal functions.
Groan of the day: Dues pay the bills, and that is no dues-y.
Sources: Trade union
Short answer: Union leaders negotiating a contract with employers
A union's elected leadership bargains with the employer and negotiates labor contracts for members.
Groan of the day: Bargaining together is a collective effort.
Sources: Trade union
Short answer: Join the union within a time limit
A union shop hires non-union workers but requires them to join within a set time.
Groan of the day: A union shop keeps membership in the loop.
Sources: Trade union
Short answer: Workers are not required to join a union
An open shop does not require union membership to employ or keep workers.
Groan of the day: Open shop means open to all.
Sources: Trade union
Short answer: A workplace that employs only people already in the union
A closed shop employs only people who are already union members.
Groan of the day: Closed shop, open to members only.
Sources: Trade union
Short answer: A strike
When parties cannot agree, industrial action may culminate in strike action by workers.
Groan of the day: A strike is a pause with a purpose.
Sources: Trade union
Short answer: A lockout
A management lockout is the employer-side counterpart to a strike during a dispute.
Groan of the day: A lockout locks the door on work.
Sources: Trade union
Short answer: A binding decision by a neutral party
When bargaining fails, disputes may go to binding arbitration decided by a neutral party.
Groan of the day: Arbitration lets a neutral call the shots.
Sources: Trade union
Short answer: A neutral helper assists talks between two sides
Mediation uses a neutral helper to assist negotiation between labor and management.
Groan of the day: Mediation helps both sides meet in the middle.
Sources: Scouting America: American Labor
Short answer: Handling worker complaints through set steps
Unions establish complaint procedures so workers can raise grievances through defined steps.
Groan of the day: Grievances get a fair hearing.
Sources: Trade union
Short answer: Labor and management have opposing interests
The adversarial model treats labor and management as having opposing interests in bargaining.
Groan of the day: Adversarial means they face off, not face-palm.
Sources: Scouting America: American Labor
Short answer: Working together toward shared goals
Cooperative bargaining contrasts with the adversarial model by emphasizing joint problem solving.
Groan of the day: Cooperation makes bargaining less of a tug of war.
Sources: Scouting America: American Labor
Short answer: The growing interconnection of economies worldwide
Globalization describes our interconnected world and its effects on work and trade.
Groan of the day: Globalization makes the world one big marketplace.
Sources: Scouting America: American Labor
Short answer: It can shift jobs and pressure wages across borders
Globalization makes it harder for unions to maintain standards across countries and affects jobs.
Groan of the day: Global trade means global competition.
Sources: Trade union
Short answer: Having outside companies do work formerly done in-house
Outsourcing moves work to outside suppliers, and it is listed as a worker concern.
Groan of the day: Outsourcing sends work out and about.
Sources: Scouting America: American Labor
Short answer: Machines and technology may replace their jobs
Automation and technologies that replace workers are named concerns of American workers.
Groan of the day: Robots do not take coffee breaks or jobs lightly.
Sources: Scouting America: American Labor
Short answer: Confidence that the job will continue
Job security is a listed worker concern about keeping steady employment.
Groan of the day: Job security is peace of mind at work.
Sources: Scouting America: American Labor
Short answer: Fair treatment without discrimination
Equal-opportunity employment and discrimination are named concerns of American workers.
Groan of the day: Equal opportunity means a fair shot for all.
Sources: Scouting America: American Labor
Short answer: Benefits
Employee benefits include health care, child care, profit sharing, and retirement benefits.
Groan of the day: Benefits are the perks of the job.
Sources: Scouting America: American Labor
Short answer: Length of time on the job
Seniority is a worker concern tied to time served and rules on promotions.
Groan of the day: Seniority rewards time served.
Sources: Scouting America: American Labor
Short answer: A temporary or permanent job loss for workers
Layoffs are listed among the concerns of American workers.
Groan of the day: A layoff is a tough break, not a break room.
Sources: Scouting America: American Labor
Short answer: A local group linking unions in an area
Scouts may visit a local union, central labor council, or employee organization to learn.
Groan of the day: Councils connect locals like a network.
Sources: Scouting America: American Labor
Short answer: The ordinary members
The rank and file are the union's ordinary members represented in bargaining.
Groan of the day: Rank and file are the heart of the union.
Sources: Trade union
Short answer: Through internal democratic elections
Workplace union representatives are often appointed by members through democratic elections.
Groan of the day: Union elections are a democratic workout.
Sources: Trade union
Short answer: Organizing a particular section of skilled workers
Craft unionism organizes a particular section of skilled or unskilled workers.
Groan of the day: Craft unions stick to their craft.
Sources: Trade union
Short answer: Organizing all workers within a particular industry
Industrial unionism attempts to organize all workers within a particular industry.
Groan of the day: Industrial unions cover a whole industry.
Sources: Trade union
Short answer: The percentage of workers who are union members
Union density is the percentage of workers in a location who are union members.
Groan of the day: Density measures how many workers join.
Sources: Trade union
Short answer: Detailing how the union governs itself
A union constitution details governance of its bargaining unit and organization.
Groan of the day: A constitution keeps the union organized.
Sources: Trade union
Short answer: Groups affected by the business, like workers and customers
Owners, stockholders, customers, employees, and the community are all stakeholders with goals.
Groan of the day: Stakeholders all have a stake in the outcome.
Sources: Scouting America: American Labor
Short answer: To help each group reach its goals
Agreements and compromises help each stakeholder group achieve its goals.
Groan of the day: Compromise is a two-way street to progress.
Sources: Scouting America: American Labor
Short answer: Helping resolve disputes between workers and employers
Labor relations careers focus on the relationship between employees and employers.
Groan of the day: Labor relations careers keep workplaces talking.
Sources: Scouting America: American Labor
Short answer: The right to organize and bargain collectively
Workers have basic rights and responsibilities, including union and nonunion members.
Groan of the day: Rights come with responsibilities too.
Sources: Scouting America: American Labor
Short answer: Visit a local union or contact one online
Scouts can visit or contact a union or employee organization to learn what it does.
Groan of the day: Ask a union and you shall learn.
Sources: Scouting America: American Labor
Short answer: How the organization is structured from local to national
A diagram can show how a union is structured from the local to the national level.
Groan of the day: A diagram makes the structure clear.
Sources: Scouting America: American Labor
Short answer: They can raise wages for members and others
Evidence indicates nonmembers also see higher wages due to the presence of unions.
Groan of the day: Strong unions can lift the whole boat.
Sources: Trade union
Short answer: Greater economic inequality
Right-to-work laws have been linked to greater economic inequality in the United States.
Groan of the day: Right-to-work laws are a big topic, not a small talk.
Sources: Trade union
Short answer: Maintaining worker rights and resolving disputes
The service model focuses on maintaining worker rights, providing services, and resolving disputes.
Groan of the day: Service model unions serve their members.
Sources: Trade union
Short answer: Building confidence and networks within the workforce
The organizing model builds confidence, strong networks, and leaders within the workforce.
Groan of the day: Organizing builds people power.
Sources: Trade union
Short answer: A local branch of a larger union
Unions are often divided into locals and united in national federations.
Groan of the day: Locals keep unions close to home.
Sources: Trade union
Short answer: A group uniting many local unions
Local unions are often united in national federations, which may join internationals.
Groan of the day: Federations bring unions together.
Sources: Trade union
Short answer: Arguing both management's and labor's sides
Scouts argue both sides of a labor issue, first management's, then labor's view.
Groan of the day: See both sides and you see more.
Sources: Scouting America: American Labor
Short answer: Rank-and-file members and the employer
Agreements negotiated by a union bind the rank-and-file members and the employer, and sometimes non-members.
Groan of the day: That contract really holds things together.
Sources: Trade union
Short answer: The United Kingdom
Trade unions originated in the United Kingdom and spread during the Industrial Revolution.
Groan of the day: The UK really unionized the fun.
Sources: Trade union
Short answer: Subsistence farming
Employment became the main way to earn a living as people moved from subsistence farming to industrial work.
Groan of the day: Farming was growing on people, but industry had other plans.
Sources: Trade union
Short answer: Wage slavery
Critics called the new arrangement wage slavery, though the term that persisted was employment.
Groan of the day: That label was a bit of a stretch.
Sources: Trade union
Short answer: Banned trade unions and collective bargaining
The Combination Act banned trade unions and collective bargaining by British workers.
Groan of the day: That law was a real combination of bad ideas.
Sources: Trade union
Short answer: 1872
British trade unions were legalized in 1872 after a Royal Commission agreed they helped employers and employees.
Groan of the day: Legal at last, and that is no small claim.
Sources: Trade union
Short answer: A decline in manufacturing
A decline in manufacturing is the most direct influence on falling union density.
Groan of the day: Manufacturing declined, and unions felt the ripple.
Sources: Trade union
Short answer: The Rand formula
An agency shop requires non-union workers to pay a fee for union services and is sometimes called the Rand formula.
Groan of the day: Agency shop: a fee for service, not a free ride.
Sources: Trade union
The whole guide on one screen. Screenshot it, print it, stick it on the fridge.
Think of your answer first, then peek.
Improve members' pay and working conditions. Unions exist to maintain or improve employment conditions like wages, benefits, and safety.
Handling worker complaints through set steps. Unions establish complaint procedures so workers can raise grievances through defined steps.
Length of time on the job. Seniority is a worker concern tied to time served and rules on promotions.
To help each group reach its goals. Agreements and compromises help each stakeholder group achieve its goals.
A group uniting many local unions. Local unions are often united in national federations, which may join internationals.
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