Unions seeing resurgence in popularity but still struggling amidst powerful corporations
Although President Joe Biden has proven to be a staunch supporter of unions, the first since Lyndon Johnson or perhaps even ever, according to some, unions today are enjoying a greater level of popularity than during their heyday. A recent Gallup poll revealed that 68% of respondents held a positive view of unions – the highest since the question was first asked in 1965, compared to only 48% back in 2009. Younger workers, specifically those aged 34 and under, are even more pro-union, with 77% expressing a favorable opinion.
Tim Schlittner, the Communications Director of the AFL-CIO, credits the current positive sentiment towards unions to the effects of the pandemic. “I think the country has had a second look at unions as a result of the pandemic, and they like what they see. Workers are looking at one another with new eyes, finding strengths” said Schlittner. He also expresses the hope that the labor movement can capitalize on this momentum to expand its ranks.
Although the overall environment is more favorable for workers, with more job openings and higher wages in many industries, the U.S. business sector still maintains a low union membership rate. According to 2020 data, less than 11% of American workers are union members, equating to half the percentage of unionized workers in 1983, when the U.S. Department of Labor began tracking the data.
The private sector poses significant challenges to organizing efforts as only 6% of private sector employees are union members, making a concerted push for change a difficult task. This challenge was evident in the failed effort to organize Amazon workers at a warehouse in Alabama, where less than 30% of its employees voted in favor of union representation.
Another significant challenge for unions is the persistent opposition from corporate entities. Corporations often delay or stall collective bargaining sessions, and engage in anti-union tactics like bombarding workers with anti-union propaganda and engaging in surface bargaining. In some instances, corporations challenge the legitimacy of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), further complicating the unionization process. Wealthy corporations like Amazon and Starbucks have the resources to exploit loopholes in labor laws, making it challenging for workers to establish and maintain unions.
Despite these difficulties, unions are making efforts to reform labor laws and promote worker rights. One such initiative is the Protecting the Right to Organize Act (PRO Act), which aims to create equal footing for union representation by denying corporations the ability to delay elections and penalizing them for anti-union activities. However, the passage of the PRO Act faces an uphill battle unless the current Senate blockade is addressed.
Even though the landscape may seem favorable and efforts to promote unionization are underway, unions in the U.S. business sector continue to struggle against powerful corporations and legal hurdles.
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The current state of union strength in the U.S. business sector has significantly weakened since its heyday. Key points to note are:
- Decline in Union Membership:
- Overall Decline: Union membership has dropped from 10.5% in 2019 to 10.3% in 2020, resulting in a loss of 170,000 unionized workers.
- Private Sector: Union membership in the private sector has drastically fallen from about 20% in 1983 to 6.2% in 2019.
- Public Sector: While union membership in the public sector remains higher, there has been a decline in state and local government union membership, particularly in local government, which saw a decrease of 177,000 union members in 2024 compared to 2019 [1].
- Challenges in Promoting Representation:
- Corporate Opposition: Unions face significant challenges due to aggressive corporate opposition. Corporations view NLRB elections as the first round of their battle against unionization and delay or stall collective bargaining sessions.
- Anti-Union Tactics: Corporations employ various lawful and unlawful anti-union strategies, including flooding workers with anti-union propaganda, delaying organizing efforts, and engaging in surface bargaining.
- Legal Challenges: Some corporations, such as Amazon and Starbucks, are challenging the legitimacy of the NLRB, adding to the complexity facing workers when organizing unions.
- Wealthy Corporations’ Influence: Wealthy corporations like Amazon and Starbucks hold the means to capitalize on labor law loopholes, making it difficult for workers to organize and maintain unions.
- Historical Context:
- The fall in union membership is attributable to various factors, including the shift from industrial assembly lines to more diverse workforces with higher labor turnover, making it challenging for unions to organize a common front among workers.
- The rise of a competitive economy with fewer regulations has also contributed to the decline, as jobs are created when there is the prospect of gains from trade, which is maximized by reducing regulations and taxes.
- Opportunities and Challenges Ahead:
- The ITUC is focusing on rebuilding trust in democratic institutions and promoting equality and inclusion. However, current union representation remains weak and vulnerable to corporate opposition.
- Public sector unions continue to face challenges due to legal restrictions and attacks on collective bargaining rights but remain essential in protecting workers’ rights and advocating for workplace justice.
In conclusion, the U.S. business sector is witnessing a low union membership rate as a result of significant challenges, including aggressive corporate opposition, legal hurdles, and patriarchal corporate culture.
