Unionizing is not against the law; but the law is against unionizing.
by Mark Kreidler, LA Progressive
The past 18 months have been marked by loud labor organizing efforts — and opposition — at several massive corporate enterprises, including Starbucks and Amazon. Public approval of unions, meanwhile, is up to 71%, the highest level since 1965, according to a Gallup poll from August 2022. Yet according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics, the union membership rate of 10.1% last year was the lowest since records were kept, dating to 1983.
There’s certainly no single reason for those seemingly contradictory sets of statistics. But there is a main culprit: the country’s wildly outdated labor laws.
The current rules aren’t merely weak-kneed or incomplete; they’re tilted significantly in favor of employers. From restricting the right to organize to minimizing penalties for employers who break the laws, the legal deck is stacked against workers. And considering how long many of those rules have been on the books, they are well past due for an overhaul.
Recent Posts
New Poll Has An Independent Populist Upending The Senate With A Nebraska Upset
October 23, 2024
Take Action Now Dan Osborn is flipping the script, and a new poll has him flipping Nebraska’s crucial Senate seatBy Ryan Grim, Drop Site…
The Right Wants To Overturn A Foundational Labor Law
October 23, 2024
Take Action NowUnions need to plan a response now.By Shaun Richman, In These TimesThe foundational 1935 labor law…
The Democrats Have Always Been “Liberal” Interventionists
October 23, 2024
Take Action NowThe kind of progressivism that people expect from the Democratic Party has been subsumed by another politics.By…
Elon Musk’s Wants To Buy The U.S.’s Future
October 22, 2024
Take Action NowHere’s why Elon Musk’s million-dollar presidential lottery is ominous.By Sam Butler, Drop SiteElon Musk can…