Compare and contrast the labor unions in the United States and those in Sweden

What will be an ideal response?

In the United States, labor unions are generally considered to be something of the past. The United States' big push to unionize came in the early 1900s, in response to worker abuse and health and safety issues. Some people see unions as unnecessary today, given the laws that protect workers' rights. Now, 12.3 percent of U.S. workers are unionized. The U.S. view of unions, however, is not prevalent around the world. Sweden has very high union membership; approximately 80 percent of the workforce is unionized.
Swedish trade unions are very powerful in collective bargaining. For example, Sweden does not have a national minimum wage, but their workers are well compensated and get regular pay increases to account for inflation. Their trade unions, through collective bargaining, set a guiding wage for different business sectors. Although the company-level contracts have primacy, most workers do not have to settle for a wage below the guiding wage, because they know that they can get a higher wage at another company.
Despite the high union concentration, Sweden has one of the lowest strike rates in Europe, about 10 strikes of any kind per year, whereas the United States records about 20 "major stoppages" a year. Perhaps, because unions are such a force in Sweden, there is a much bigger push for cooperation between unions and business during collective bargaining.
Labor unions in Sweden are set up a little differently than in the United States. Swedish unions do not have minimum membership requirements or registration requirements. Consequently, there are fewer barriers to union membership. A union is simply a group of workers who wish to associate in order to protect workers' rights. They must create bylaws and a board of directors to carry out their aim of protecting workers' rights. The few legal requirements regarding unions make it much easier for Swedes to join unions. There is also less antipathy toward workers' unionizing in Sweden, compared to the United States. Unions are so widespread in Sweden that it is not unusual or unexpected for workers to want to join a union.