Support for unions is on the rise as workers take action to raise pay and conditions amid booming company profits
By Michael Sainato, The Guardian
Thousands of workers around the US are going on strike or threatening to do so heading into October, amid a recent surge of labor action activity in America and just one month before crucial midterm elections.
Support for labor unions in the US has grown over the past year, as a surge in organizing has resulted in workers winning union elections at major corporations including Starbucks, Amazon, Apple, Chipotle, Trader Joe’s, Google, REI and Verizon.
Union election petitions increased 58% in the first three quarters of fiscal year 2022, compared with 2021. Public support for labor unions is at its highest point since 1965, according to the most recent Gallup poll, with a 71% approval of labor unions in the US.
According to the labor action tracker at Cornell University, strikes in 2022 so far have significantly outpaced strike activity in 2021, with 180 strikes involving 78,000 workers in the first six months of 2022, compared with 102 strikes involving 26,500 workers in the first six months of 2021. The tracker recorded 41 strikes that started between 15 August and 15 September 2022, involving 35,250 workers.
Recent Posts
No Matter Who Wins For President, Our Work Has Just Begun
November 3, 2024
Take Action NowNo matter who wins, progressives must be ready to clamor for the policies we want to see in the White House.By…
A Trump Presidency Could Mean A Third Red Scare
November 3, 2024
Take Action NowDonald Trump and his allies aren’t making a secret of it: if they win, they’re going to launch a campaign of repression to…
What Would Mass Deportation In The U.S. Look Like?
November 1, 2024
Take Action NowTrump has invoked a 1950s mass deportation campaign as a blueprint for his nativist agenda. Its history shows that abuse and…
Israel Using U.S. Election To Take Free Hand Against Gaza
November 1, 2024
Take Action NowBut even as a lame duck, will Biden do the right thing? Likely not.By Robert E. Hunter, Responsible Statecraft……