How effective were unions in shaping political and economic policies?

Unions were very effective in shaping political and economic policies. Even though their initial efforts did not have success in the late 19th century, their 20th century efforts changed America forever.

For example, the labor unions were able to get the government to pass laws regarding the 8 hour work day, the outlawing of child labor for kids under the age of 16, and the implementation of health and safety regulations to ensure that factory workers were in suitable conditions. Along with this, there are now federal agencies that to this day, continue to monitor businesses and their activities to ensure that they are not breaking any labor laws or health and safety regulations.