WHY ARE GEN-Y AND GEN-Z SO WORKED UP ABOUT LABOR UNIONS? By Beverley Adams
Many of us believe that labor unions are relics of the 1930s, representing employees forced to work long hours, doing hard labor and in dangerous uncleanly conditions. Some believe employees today don’t need unions, since market factors and employment regulations naturally provide an environment where employees can do just fine by advocating for themselves without an “outside third-party,” such as a union, representing them.
Attorney Beverley Adams at Fredrikson & Byron represents employers and executives in the full range of employmentrelated matters, providing guidance on such issues as employment investigations, disciplinary matters, employment contracts and union labor negotiations. She litigates in federal and state trial courts in North Dakota and Minnesota. You can reach her at badams@fredlaw.com.
Photo provided by Fredrikson & Byron
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DECEMBER 2022
As we have seen over the last year, particularly with younger workers, many people disagree with these premises. Young workers are more enthusiastic about unions now than they have been for decades. In the past year alone, employees at some the nation’s best-known companies—including Starbucks, Amazon, Trader Joe’s, Apple, REI and Chipotle—have organized unions for the first time. The surge in unionization covers multiple types of industries, including museum workers, digital journalists, graduate students, nurses, adjunct professors, cannabis workers and those committed to political campaigns and non-profit organizations. Student workers are also part of the latest wave of unionization, flocking to labor’s banner to improve pay and the working conditions that come with it. The striking disconnect here is corporate leadership has the perception that employees do not want unions, and they correctly point out that only 10.3 percent of America’s workers (33.9 percent public
employees and 6.1 percent in the private sector) are in unions, which is down from 35 percent at the labor unions’ peak in the 1950s and 20 percent in the 1980s. However, the surge of unionization efforts by young workers tells a much different story. If unions are relics, younger employees did not get the memo. The general public’s perception of unions has also warmed up. On Aug. 30, a Gallup poll showed 71 percent of Americans approve of unions, which is the highest level since 1965 and a sharp increase from 48 percent in 2009. There has also been an increase in non-union workers who said they would vote to join a union.
WHAT IS DRIVING UNION SUPPORT? What is powering this surge in union support, and is it enough to counter the decades-long downward trend? The recent popularity in unions may be tied to three relevant factors.
1. THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC Most experts are saying the biggest factor was COVID. The pandemic created a catalyst that focused on two primary perspectives: 1. How we work and live. 2. The relationship between employers and workers.