ASHINGTON -The ASHINGTON – American labor leaders view this as a time to make a radical change: The workers in Starbucks cafes, as well as Amazon warehouses, are taking to the streets and seeking representation. The polls show that more people are in favor of unions, or would like to have the opportunity to be a part of them. President Biden is the only one with a majority across both chambers in Congress hopes to lead the most union-friendly presidency that has existed since Franklin D. Roosevelt.
“There’s a massive reckoning and the workers have experienced the opportunity to participate in it” stated Mary Kay Henry who is president of the Service Employees International Union, one of the biggest and most powerful unions.
However, even as experts acknowledge the excitement surrounding labor that is gaining momentum, however, they warn that unions, who have endured decades of declining members, are not likely to alter the course. The moment for unions to shine could be in danger of disappearing. Republicans are set to win seats in November’s elections. A possible recession could reduce the advantage that workers have enjoyed in the labor market tightening that developed in the aftermath of the pandemic.
“The breezes have been on workers’ backs, and that’s led to labor movements in regions that were unimaginable only a few years ago,” said Jake Rosenfeld co-author of “What Unions No Longer Do” and sociology instructor at Washington University in St. Louis.
However “there are clouds over the horizon” the author added.
Unions have complained for a long time about the advantages derived from structural structures by employers in securing their organizing efforts. Employers are able to organize mandatory meetings in which employees influence unions. Although firing employees for organizing is technically unlawful but the penalties that employers must face for doing this are usually very small and usually occur months or even years following the dismissal of an organizer.
Employers may also delay the process of union recognition and the negotiation for a contract that comes following it, while they are waiting for employees to quit their job and for the economic climate to improve. The power of employers will only increase if the labor market, currently among the tightest in recent times is relaxed, and workers start to fear that there will be a recession.
“When they’re having those closed audience meetings, they could simply say, ‘Well, the economy is going to become worse, which means it’s going to be more difficult for you to get an employment opportunity and get a job,'” said Jon Shelton who is a labor historian at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay.
Around 1/10 American workers are members of the labor union, a drop from a high of more than one of 3 during the 1950s midway. The government workforce is 5 times as likely as private sector employees to be a member of unions.
According to the National Labor Relations Board has received more requests for the union election this year than in the same timeframe in 2021. The majority of the increase in the number of election requests comes from Starbucks cafes each of which employs just a few dozen workers, which means the impact on union representation is likely to be small even if the elections do go ahead.
Shelton criticizes Democrats for failing to garner enough support to pass the union’s most important legislation which is The PRO Act, which would alter the rules that govern organizing. Shelton spoke to The Times three months before his death in August last year, Richard Trumka, the powerful head of the AFL-CIO and lauded Biden for being a unionist however, he also said that the effectiveness of his labor agenda is contingent on the passing of the bill.
“If it is the case that PRO Act is not ultimately approved, there won’t be a chance for recovery for the working class,” he said. “There’s nothing that can drive it.”
Trumka said Democrats could gather 50 votes and figure out ways to approve the bill in the highly divided Senate along with Vice President Kamala Harris the tie-breaking vote. However, it’s been held up partly because Democrats have not been able to gather the required 50 votes, or even alter the Senate rules for filibusters that require that most legislation must be passed with 60 votes.
The administration has attempted to use its power to implement administrative modifications that have allowed organizers to achieve recognition at the National Labor Relations Board and to include requirements in its spending bills, which connect subsidies for things such as electric vehicles to American jobs.
“The PRO Act is still essential however what’s striking concerning it is that the Biden administration is that they’re making use of every tool and level of government,” said Henry of SEIU.
Mark Wilbur, president of the Los Angeles-based Employers Group, which advocates for business owners, believes that the declining number of unions is due to their decline, particularly in California where there are higher protections for workers than the other states. Workers, he explained do not want to shell out fees for things they don’t require and consumers don’t wish to be burdened by additional costs.
“One 100 years ago this was necessary,” he said. “Workers were killed in the workplace. These days, they’re not anymore relevant.”
Liz Shuler, who replaced Trumka as the president of the AFL-CIO and is keeping in contact with the members of the administration on a daily basis, and unions won’t give up to pass legislation. However, she believes that most Americans do not realize the billions of money that the Biden administration is securing for its infrastructure development of the semiconductor industry as well as electric car expansion roadways and roads.
“All of these massive investments come with labor standards attached to them,” Shuler said, “to ensure that we’re benefiting the working population.”