By Harold Meyerson, The American Prospect
Labor’s Improved but Uncertain Prospects. The public backs unions but the law does not, though some key administration officials are trying to change that.
On Labor Day 2021, the prospects for American workers are both hopeful and ominous, depending on which metric we choose to look at. Earlier this week, Gallup’s annual poll showed that unions had a 68 percent approval rating, the highest they’ve enjoyed since 1965. Among the young, approval stood at 77 percent, and even Republicans were evenly divided, with 47 percent (drawn disproportionately from low-income Republicans) approving and 47 percent disapproving. Of course, a poll of Republican elected officials would come down 100 percent on the disapproval side; that’s not a scientific analysis, but one based on years of listening for so much as one pro-union peep from a Republican member of Congress and hearing instead only venomous rants.
In terms of how workers are doing in the actual economy, the evidence is temporarily and fitfully hopeful. The refusal of millions of workers to return to the shit jobs that our economy has generated, even in the face of lingering high unemployment, has compelled even many of the most callous employers to raise wages and improve working conditions, to keep former, current, or prospective employees from jumping to better gigs. Last Thursday, even Walmart raised its hourly minimum to $12 and announced additional increases for hundreds of thousands of other employees.
Recent Posts
Bernie Sanders Vs. Howard Schultz: Longtime Starbucks CEO Grilled On Company’s Union-Busting Tactics
March 30, 2023
Take Action Now Bernie Sanders grilled the former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz about the company’s illegal anti-union practices by Amy…
Tragedy In Ciudad Juárez Highlights Dangers Faced By Migrants
March 30, 2023
Take Action Now The tragic event shines a light on the multitude of dangers facing the hundreds of thousands of migrants who set off on perilous…
How Abortion Bans Are Impacting Pregnant Patients Across The Country
March 30, 2023
Take Action Now Leading legal scholar Mary Ziegler and Tennessee OB-GYN Dr. Nikki Zite talk to ProPublica about ominous trends and threats to…
The Biden Budget Does Some Good But Could Do More If It Cut The Pentagon
March 30, 2023
Take Action Now It’s clear that keeping the status quo on Pentagon spending means needlessly keeping millions mired in poverty By Lindsay…