Chapter 2 Flashcards
Describe the European Economy between 1300 - 1700 (7)
- largely localized, rual
- no road or canal system for transport
- ppl. were largely self sufficient
- grew their own livestock, or food.
- ppl. had little income
- almost no mechanization at all
- the few things you needed, were either made or bought by a local crafts person
craftsperson work at home in their shops - serving the local market.
who were crafts people
- localized business owners
- built their own product
Benefits of a Craft Guild (5)
- supply insurance
- ensure adequate supply of crafts people
- exercise quality control
- maintain a price monopoly
- provide an education function (apprentices)
Describe the Wool Guild and its effect on the Craft Guilds
- Guild acted much like an employers Association using the collective knowledge and influence of the producers and sellers to counteract the power of the craft Guild
- wool Guild succeeded in reducing the power of the cloth makers Guild by controlling the supply of raw materials and distribution of finished products
- to change the predominant method of producing from a single craftsperson creating a product from start to finish to a method in which different steps in production were divided among different craftsperson’s
- reduced the power of the traditional craft guilds
- introduced the putting out - piecework system PUtting out
- the division of Labor allowed for faster production since individual craftsperson’s became specialist in part of the production process thereby developing a more efficient methods of carrying out tasks
How were crafts guild effected by the PUTTING OUT SYSTEM
- Paid a standard price for their portion of the project
- reduced wages of crafts guild
- Reduced skills (only making one portion of the finished product).
What effect did the increased automation and improved transportation have effect on Europe
(4)
- mechanization also reduced the demand for skilled workers since machines rather than human workers could now carry out many of the complex steps of production
- relatively low prices for land facilitated the establishment of large scale factories an improvements in transportation and communication meant that raw materials and finished goods could easily be marketed in areas as far from the place of origin
- generally located in urban areas many workers had to leave their rural communities to find cities in employment
- workers could be easily replaced without any significant loss of production or time for training
4 major effects of the Industrial Revolution started
- the end of more expensive craft work
- cheap land facilitated building of large factories
- improvements to transportation expanded the reach of businesses
- factory owners - Capitalists - gained control!!
how did the Industrial Revolution impact the common worker
- working conditions were horrific
- workers left home to work in cities
- use of child labour increased
- wage rates further declined
- no legal protections for adult workers
Theories of Union Origins
Webbs
- authors whose interest in trade unions developed throughout their co-founding of the fabian society.
- They advocated for reform of working conditions like those found in industrial factories however they believe that the conditions were not simply a workplace problem but they were also manifestations of a large societal problems
- web’s research identified the primary purpose of trade unions as improving conditions for their members working lives the web suggested that unions emerged primarily because of the separation between capital and Labour caused by industrialization
According to the Webbs’ what are the three “methods” that unions employed to achieve their purposes
- Method of Mutual Insurance - involved unions accumulating funds from union membership fees and then using these photos funds to make payments to workers unable to work these payments took two forms one benevolent or friendly payments for workers who are sick or injured and two out of work payments for workers who tools were lost or whose factories were temporary or permanently closed
- Method of Collective Bargaining - This method involves union acting as workers representatives and negotiating terms and conditions of work with the employer by ensuring fair and consistent rules in the workplace and adequate wage rates this method also helped achieve the objective of improving union members working lives.
- Method of Legal Enactment - whereby unions lobby governments to enact laws guaranteeing basic minimum employee standards this method helped achieve the goal for representing workers interests at a higher level since it ensured that the interest of all workers not just union members were being brought to the attention of decision makers and other influential individuals
what are the internal devices conceived by the Webbs
o Device of common rule - rule whereby unions would ensure their survival by fighting for the better conditions of all workers not just their own membership use of this device would increase support for unions since non union members would be impressed by the work that unions have done on behalf and thus would be interested in joining the union themselves
o Device of Restriction of numbers - restriction of numbers whereby unions limited their membership through qualifying requirements such as apprenticeships unions argued that this device would of restriction and numbers allowed them some control over the conditions in the Labour market
what were Karl Marx and Freindrich Engels view on unions
- the emergence of union as one symptom of an ongoing class struggle
- unions as a means by which working class could have avoided exploitation by the upper classes unions would counteract the power enacted exerted by the upper classes because they would not because they would Unite employee members of the working class in a single body that would be powerful simply because of its great size
- unions will also enlightened the working class about injustice of their position society and this knowledge would help inspire workers to take action to improve their circumstances
what were Karl Marx and Freindrich Engels view on unions needed to do
- Marx argued that if unions were to continue to survive they would need to have large purposes beyond gaining the increased control of the workplace given the inherent opposition that workers would face in the capitalist system
- argued unions had to have larger political purpose as well they predicted that in the future unions would be a vehicle for class discontent and that the discontent would eventually contribute to the overturning of capitalism and the development of a classless society
Chaykowski and Verma characterize the Canadian industrial relations system as
… relatively stable
- Attribute this to higher levels of unionization in Canada since Canada unions representing a greater proportion of the workforce, they have more power than American unions
- Canadian unions are less likely to resist cooperative relationships with management for fear that cooperation will weaken the unions ability to oppose unwanted change in the futures.
