Strikes Are On The Rise; Are Labor Unions Missing Their Moment?
1A
NPR
4.3 • 4.5K Ratings
🗓️ 19 July 2023
⏱️ 36 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
To resolve some of their workplace qualms, many workers have taken to organizing. 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?
We discuss unions, strikes, and the future of the labor movement.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | For more than 200 years, American workers have used labor strikes as a tool to convince |
| 0:13.6 | employers to meet their demands. |
| 0:15.8 | The same goes for workers who unionize. |
| 0:18.4 | Last year, more than 16 million workers in the United States were represented by a union |
| 0:22.8 | that includes some of you. |
| 0:24.4 | This is Joe, and I was a UAW member for 46 years, and although not perfect, my union |
| 0:32.1 | really negotiated well for me in healthcare, in retirement, and everything else. |
| 0:39.6 | Hey, my name is Nathan. |
| 0:41.2 | I'm a member of the Amalgamated Transit Union, a.k.u, local 382 here in Salt Lake City, Utah. |
| 0:47.7 | I work on maintenance crews that take care of railroad tracks and rails, and I'm very, |
| 0:54.0 | very grateful for our union because they've pushed for pay and benefits to match the hazard |
| 1:00.2 | of working near live active rails without them, because it is a government-funded agency. |
| 1:07.8 | Pay would be significantly less, and it pushed for increased safety. |
| 1:12.6 | Even though federal safety standards are fairly strict, I appreciate what my union's done |
| 1:16.6 | to make sure that I go home at the end of the day. |
| 1:19.1 | Joe, Nathan, thanks for those messages. |
| 1:21.7 | If power do unions have to affect change in the workplace, and are more or fewer unions |
| 1:26.5 | in our future, we'll get into those questions in a lot more after the break. |
| 1:31.0 | I'm Jen White, and you're listening to the 1A Podcast where we get to the heart of |
| 1:34.8 | the story. |
| 1:35.8 | We'll be back with our discussion in just a moment. |
| 1:43.5 | Let's get into the conversation and welcome our guests. |
... |
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