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The fall (and rise?) of unions in the US
vid.puffyan.usWe answered a viewer’s question about the decline of unionization.
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“How come we’ve seen such a decline in unionization in the US?” That’s the question we received from one of our viewers, Cameron when we put out a call for topics to explain. It comes at an interesting time.
Earlier this year, the Amazon Labor Union won its first election at a large warehouse in New York, and more than 200 Starbucks locations have voted to unionize since baristas in Buffalo broke the seal in December 2021. The National Labor Relations Board reports that petitions for union elections are up 56 percent this year compared to 2021.
This level of energy and momentum in the labor movement is remarkable in light of the long, steep decline in union membership rates since the 1950s. Social science has limited tools for establishing what caused that decline, and different experts tend to emphasize different factors. But in the video above, we dig into a few key drivers of low union density in the US relative to other wealthy countries.
Sources:
Barry Eidlin, Labor and the Class Idea in the United States and Canada https://barryeidlin.org/theclassidea/
Nelson Lichtenstein, State of the Union https://press.princeton.edu/books/paperback/9780691160276/state-of-the-union
Zachary Schaller, “Decomposing the Decline of Unions: Revisiting Sectoral and Regional Shifts” https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/00197939221101555?journalCode=ilra&
OECD, “Collective bargaining systems and workers’ voice arrangements in OECD countries” https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/sites/a6ebacb7-en/index.html?itemId=/content/component/a6ebacb7-en
Barry T. Hirsch and David A. Macpherson https://unionstats.com/
Bloomberg Law https://news.bloomberglaw.com/daily-labor-report/punching-in-pandemic-union-election-surge-hits-trump-era-rules-28 https://news.bloomberglaw.com/bloomberg-law-analysis/analysis-how-long-does-it-take-unions-to-reach-first-contracts
Economic Policy Institute https://www.epi.org/unequalpower/publications/private-sector-unions-corporate-legal-erosion/
Gallup https://news.gallup.com/poll/12751/labor-unions.aspx
Thomas Kochan et al “Worker Voice in America: Is There a Gap between What Workers Expect and What They Experience?” https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0019793918806250
Alejandro Reuss, “What’s Behind Union Decline in the United States?” https://dollarsandsense.org/archives/2011/0311reuss2.html
Henry Farber, Bruce Western, Accounting for the Decline of Unions in the Private Sector, 1973-1998, https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12122-001-1017-8
G. William Domhoff, “The Rise and Fall of Labor Unions In The U.S.” https://whorulesamerica.ucsc.edu/power/history_of_labor_unions.html
Michael Goldfield and Amy Bromsen, “The Changing Landscape of US Unions in Historical and Theoretical Perspective” https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/10.1146/annurev-polisci-032211-214003
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There is one thing I’ve never been clear with unions. Is there a minimum company size (perceived or real) that defines their usefulness? Like, as an extreme example, if 3 people made a company in their garage, I feel a union is overkill (tell me I’m wrong), but if that company grew to 10 people…is it suddenly realistic? What about 15? 20? 100?
Like, I work for a small startup and don’t feel a union is a pressing need, but I’ve always wondered if that’s the propaganda working or something more intrinsic to how a union is defined/finds purpose
It’s 100% propaganda working. Your little shop can join a larger union. The entire premise is to “be stronger, together”.
I don’t know if this is right but joining before the company is big enough to really have that much leverage over you seems like a better idea than waiting until it’s bigger. You also never know when the company is going to change, even if they are treating your well right now.
I’m not an expert but I have spent several years organizing in my field. Legally it only takes 2 workers to form a bargaining unit. It’s normal to see a union as unnecessary when you’re satisfied with your working conditions. Unfortunately without a union there’s nothing protecting those benefits you enjoy, and they’re often the first thing employers target when they’re looking to cut costs. Without a union your employer has no obligation to consult with you before, for example, switching to a cheaper health insurance or freezing bonuses.
A union contract lets you decide which issues you want to weigh in on. Don’t mind working holidays? Leave it out of the contract. Want regular raises? Put it in the contract.
Contrary to popular belief, you won’t pay any dues until you have a contract that you feel is worth what you’re paying. Sometimes people say, “I paid dues but the union never did anything for me.” Nearly every time I’ve heard this the person A. worked in a union that’s been around for a long time, and negotiated major improvements before they started the job, and/or B. did not actively participate by attending meetings or voting on contracts. It’s like saying, “I didn’t vote in my local elections, and the city council never did anything for me.”
Of course there’s incompetence and corruption, just like in government, but I rarely hear people argue that the solution to government corruption is to stop having elections. Unions are literally the only reliable way for workers to improve their working conditions.