Strikes. Picketing. Protests. One thing has become clear across dozens of industries in recent years. Workers are dissatisfied.
To resolve some of their workplace qualms, many workers have taken to organizing. Even workers at companies like Starbucks and Amazon, notorious for their anti-union tactics, were undeterred from forming unions. But unions, and the collective bargaining agreements they try to secure, are often stalled by employers.
Enter, strikes.
A study from Cornell found that strikes were up by 52 percent in 2o22 and involved more than 224,000 workers. And while more than 16 million workers in the United States (about 1 in 10) were represented by a union in 2022, the share of workers represented by a union is declining.
That’s because union jobs are growing at a slower rate than non-union jobs.
It’s all happening at a time when most Americans are expressing support for unions. The tight labor market is also in the worker’s favor. So, why aren’t unions booming?
How can unions regain power in the labor market? And can strikes once again convince companies to meet worker demands? We convene a panel of experts to discuss.
Copyright 2023 WAMU 88.5
