Unionization Efforts Surge in Central Midwest
Unionization attempts in the central Midwest are continuing this year at a faster pace than expected. According to a Post-Dispatch analysis of National Labor Relations Board data, 49 private sector workplaces filed for representation in the region in the first half of this year, compared with 108 throughout the entirety of 2022. The 2022 number was the highest in eight years, bolstered by high costs of living, an organizing campaign at Starbucks, and historically low unemployment rates.
Jake Rosenfeld, a Washington University sociology professor, said unionization attempts are up in the Midwest and nationally. However, he added that it’s not large enough to change the broader dynamic.
Union Membership Vs. Workforce Growth
Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed that while the total number of union members rose in January, it didn’t grow at the same pace as the overall workforce. As a result, the percentage of workers who are represented by unions still fell slightly, to 10.1%.
Labor Protests and Strikes
This year has seen tough labor negotiations, strikes, and protests. Some 295,500 workers have been involved in stoppages through July this year, Reuters reported, citing preliminary data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. That puts 2023 on track to become the busiest year for strikes since 2019.
Labor experts had expected to see this year’s numbers hampered by broader economic conditions. Earlier this year, with many economists forecasting a recession, labor experts expected the anticipated economic downturn would make workers less likely to risk unionizing. Harley Shaiken, a University of California-Berkeley professor who specializes in labor and the global economy, said there was a general belief that economic storm clouds were forming. However, now the possibility of avoiding a recession has become real.
The Future of Unionization
Doug Swanson, field specialist for the University of Missouri Extension and coordinator of the labor studies program at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, added that the expectation of an economic downturn tempering unionizing attempts has “yet to materialize.”
However, experts said the overall picture is mixed for unions. Union membership has been on the decline, nationally, since the 1950s. It peaked at 35% of the workforce in 1954, according to the Congressional Research Service.
Public approval for labor unions is at 67%, according to a Gallup poll released Wednesday. That’s just below last year’s 71%, which was the highest level in 57 years. Despite the broader public support, organizing in the private sector remains extraordinarily difficult, according to Rosenfeld. The long-term question is how unions and employers alike will evolve as the U.S. population ages, bringing about larger shifts in labor dynamics.
Swanson said that labor is at a crossroads and that the workforce shortage is set to worsen. As the country continues to grapple with these shifts, the future of unionization remains uncertain.
Original Story at www.stltoday.com – 2023-09-05 12:15:00
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