[ Aided by a historically tight labor market and a supportive
president and National Labor Relations Board, unionized workers have
been able to use their newfound leverage to win demands that forward
their agenda.]
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LABOR IS ON THE OFFENSIVE  
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Todd E. Vachon
September 27, 2022
Barron's
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_ Aided by a historically tight labor market and a supportive
president and National Labor Relations Board, unionized workers have
been able to use their newfound leverage to win demands that forward
their agenda. _

Starbucks Coffee shop is seen in the background as people gather at
Westlake Park during the "Fight Starbucks' Union Busting" rally and
march in Seattle, Washington on April 23, 2022., Agence France-Presse
(AFP)

 

The American labor movement is not only alive and well. It’s kicking
and fighting, too. 

Since the onset of Covid, American workers have experienced a
resurgence of union activity and interest in unions. Beginning with
health and safety concerns during the early days of the pandemic,
followed by rising inflation during the recovery, local unions have
been taking a more aggressive approach in contract negotiations. They
are demanding larger wage increases, better scheduling practices,
stronger safety measures, the end of two-tier benefits and pay
schemes, and more. In negotiations with John Deere, Kellogg’s and
others, rank-and-file members have even voted down generally lucrative
agreements, sending leaders back to the table to demand more. Those
decisions won 10% pay increases
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$8,500 ratification bonuses at John Deere and cost-of-living
adjustments at Kellogg’s.  

Workers involved in strikes this past year have cited the cycle of
concessions during economic downturns followed by periods of relative
prosperity in which nearly all the economic gains go to the top 10%.
More-progressive unions draw a clear line between those past
concessions and the increased concentration of income at the top. But
all contend it’s simply a matter of fairness—wages have been
stagnant since the 1970s
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continual increases in worker productivity and salaries of top
executives. Regardless of their reasoning, many labor activists say
it’s time for a readjustment, or to use economic terms, a “market
correction,” to restore the middle class.

Aided by a historically tight labor market and a supportive president
and National Labor Relations Board, unionized workers have been able
to use their newfound leverage to win demands that forward their
agenda. Company managers don’t have access to their usual reserve
pool of unemployed workers desperate to fill jobs. That makes the
threat of a strike more powerful than it has been in recent memory.
Three times as many workers went on strike in 2022
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2021. President Biden said he intends to be the most pro-union
president in history. Even if his support is just rhetorical, it has
inspired many large unions in manufacturing, transportation,
education, and healthcare to seize the opportunity to win major gains
for their members.

But contract campaigns and strikes are only part of the story. The
labor resurgence is happening on a second front as well, among
nonunionized workers in industries and occupations that have
historically lacked measurable union representation due to high rates
of turnover and part-time and temporary employees. Workers at Amazon,
Starbucks, Chipotle, Apple, Trader Joe’s, and in over 600 other
workplaces have voted to form unions during the first six months of
this year—up 80% percent
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the same period last year. This is no small feat given that employers
that engage in hostile, and often illegal, anti-union activities
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receive little punishment under U.S. law, even when they fire workers
for engaging in protected organizing activity.  

This shift represents a significant change in fortune for a labor
movement that has been slowly but steadily losing its share of workers
for decades. The consequences could go far beyond changes in
individual workplaces. 

Social science research on income inequality, including my own
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has consistently found that unionization is one of the most powerful
factors when it comes to reducing inequality
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When workers have a voice and bargaining power on the job, they bring
home a bigger share of the economic pie they help to produce. These
gains benefit not only the unionized workforce, but also typically
spill over to other workplaces as nonunion shops raise their pay rates
as a means of undermining unionization efforts within their own
companies. The labor resurgence could help resuscitate the middle
class by ensuring prosperity is shared broadly.  

The labor resurgence could also have important consequences for
democracy in America. As the federal government has become
increasingly gridlocked, Americans have turned to local organizations
to solve pressing issues. In labor, we are witnessing an insurgent
direct-democracy movement underway in workplaces across the
country. Research shows
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societies with stronger unions have stronger democratic participation.
American workers are demanding to have a voice, and some influence in
the decisions that impact their daily lives in the place where they
spend a significant percent of their waking hours—at work. Unions
have demonstrated the ability to be a powerful means for addressing
their members’ concerns, especially when they work in partnership
with other community organizations.

An important element of the labor resurgence is an increase in demands
by workers on issues that go beyond just wages
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For example, the major sticking point in the near-miss national
railroad strike
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work-life balance. Teamsters at UPS are determined to have air
conditioning installed in all trucks and to replace temporary and
part-time jobs with full-time employment. Starbucks Baristas cite
scheduling and staffing as major motivators for organizing. Teachers
across the U.S., including in several Republican-dominated states,
have struck for increased educational funding and resources for
students. Janitors with SEIU
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Minneapolis even struck over concerns about climate change. 

This broadening of the scope of bargaining demands indicates a labor
movement on the offensive. It also suggests an active and engaged
membership bringing new ideas and concerns to the table. Given that
member engagement is the real source of power in a union, it is likely
that the current upsurge will continue into 2023
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beyond. 

_[TODD E. VACHON is assistant professor of Labor Studies and
Employment Relations at the Rutgers School of Management and Labor
Relations.]_

* Labor Movement
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* future of the labor movement
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* Trade Unions
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* John Deere
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* Kelloggs
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* National Labor Relations Board
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* NLRB
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* Biden Administration
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* Amazon
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* Amazon Labor Union
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* Starbucks
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* Starbucks Workers United
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* Chipotle
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* Apple
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* Trader Joe’s
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* wages
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* Strikes
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* Teachers
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* Janitors
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* UPS
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* railroad workers
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