Harold Meyerson makes a passionate plea for the revival of private sector unions. He argues that one of the causes of private sector union decline is "the opposition that virtually every employer now mounts against organizing campaigns." But how big a factor is this really? Probably not that big, especially compared to larger forces at work in the global economy.
Even if the Obama administration and the Democratic Congress had managed to pass check card to facilitate union organizing, it might have increased by a few percentage points the number of workers unionized in the private sector. Laws favoring unions in organizing campaigns are simply not going boost membership to a third of the workforce.
As I've noted on this blog, no matter how much one might wish to restore the strong unionism of the post-war period, there are intractable obstacles to that happening. Singling out employer opposition to laws that make union organizing difficult is foolish, as they overlook the bigger forces sweeping across OECD countries. Although it does provide a convenient scapegoat.
As I've noted on this blog, no matter how much one might wish to restore the strong unionism of the post-war period, there are intractable obstacles to that happening. Singling out employer opposition to laws that make union organizing difficult is foolish, as they overlook the bigger forces sweeping across OECD countries. Although it does provide a convenient scapegoat.
Join the conversation