Ch 18 - Unions

I've always wondered where unions originated from.  Chapter 18 describes what might be the answer. 

Early British industrialization in agriculture in forms of rotating crops, higher yielding seeds, etc allowed for more people to become aritsans rather than agricultural workers.  These artisans solowing started forming groups of like crafts.  These groups began to collect dues that would help cover their community in case of illness and funeral costs.  This essentially was the beginning stages of the unions.

As these unions grew they began to have wage bargaining power protecting the workers from oppressive bosses.