Union Density Again Declines

Despite the upsurge in union fights and interest in unions, once again, the total percentage of American workers represented by a union ticked down, from 10.1 to 10.0%. There are three million fewer union workers today than in 1983, despite the vast increase in population over the past 40 years.

This is not surprising at all. The truth of the matter is–and this is not something that some union folks all tuned into the Cult of Jane McAlevey want to hear–unions can do all the organizing in the world and turn into these super democratic organizations and do everything that reformers want. But this nation is not going to rebuild its union movement again until we see a change in labor law that cracks down on the incredibly intense anti-union campaigns that companies like Starbucks use to ensure no union enters their workplace, or at least that no contract is ever bargained. Extending times before negoitation long enough that you can call for another election, captive employee meetings, firing pro-unions workers with near impunity–all of these things make it almost impossible to actually win a union and then get a contract. The structural issues are what needs to change. The PRO Act is out there and Biden would love to sign it. But even among Democrats, it probably has 45 or so supporters. It’s not just Manchin either–your Chris Coons and Mark Warners of the world are very sketchy about union power. The Democratic Party is in fact more overtly pro-union than it has been in decades and you are seeing that in the Biden administration. But there’s only so much that even a pro-labor administration can do. You need the law to change. And then of course you need the Supreme Court to uphold the law, which this one will certainly not.

Have to play the long game here. It’s the only way.