Unions In America Are Under Attack: Here’s Why That Matters

Art by Sierra Randel

Unions are one of the most important parts of our workforce today and they are under attack. Union membership has been steadily decreasing since the 1980s, but why? There are many answers to that question but the most obvious and the most relevant answer is corporate union busting and the deregulation that allows it. Corporations and their political lackeys put up a big fight, but are unions worth the effort?

Totally and completely.

Unions are one of the most critical parts of our democracy, and have been for years. They represent not only the workers themselves, but also a future that we all should look forward to – one consisting of workers rights, fair compensation, and a voice for all. This future is under attack by corporations and their political lackeys. Union-busting is one of the most despicable practices that is regularly utilized in the US, and it must be stopped. Whether through governmental action reregulating these industries, or through revolutionary action, union-busting and the system that supports it must be taken down.

Why We Need Unions

Unions help workers use their voice to get what’s fair. Unions provide workers with healthcare and protection against wage theft, among other necessities. They are extremely important not only to the workers they serve, but to our democracy as a whole. Without unions, the US would be in a much different place when it comes to wages and worker protections. Unions have fought tirelessly for decades, even centuries, for the rights of every worker, even if they’re not a part of the union itself. Without unions, there would be no minimum wage, there would be no 401k’s and there would be no employee protections.

Without unions, millions of workers around the United States would be in a much worse place, without benefits or worthy wages. Unions also provide workers with a bargaining voice with their employers, allowing them to bargain for better wages and benefits. Currently, Americans are facing some of the worst rent crises, not to mention food insecurity and job insecurity. Unions can and have fixed that in the past; they just have to be allowed to survive.

A Brief Crash Course on Unions in the United States

Unions have been around in some form or another since the 1840s. In the beginning they were formed to help workers negotiate higher wages after events like strikes or walk-outs. After the Civil War, as the nation continued to industrialize, work was needed from more industries, and as more people worked, they found various reasons to unionize their workplaces. One of the most important unions during this key time in the late 19th century was the American Federation of Labor, or AFL, which fought valiantly against anti-union efforts. During the “Gilded Age,” unions had to fight hard against anti-union efforts that came from the ultra-rich and the factory owners. The Gilded Age saw incredible growth in unions, with membership consistently rising

Despite harsh opposition from the rich in the late 19th century, unions persisted. They continued to grow in power over the decades following the Civil War and through World War I. As they continued to grow, their opposition began to dwindle as fewer and fewer rich people had the funds to resist the growing union power. Once the 1960s rolled around, unions were one of the most powerful forces in America.

As the 1960s passed, public sector unions began to secure a future for public employees. They secured better wages, fair bargaining, and much better benefits from the government. Once the 70s rolled around, things began to deteriorate, however, even before Reaganomics. The U.S. began to rely more on importing manufactured goods from countries with much fewer regulations, leading to a decrease in American manufacturing. 

And then, once Reagan took power, he ruined everything (let me know if you’ve heard that before). He heavily deregulated manufacturing as a method to bring back American manufacturing, but all he did was increase the ability of these companies to take away workers’ rights. Reagan is the biggest villain in the history of unions. His policies ruined the possibilities of so many potential service industry unions, just as they were starting to find a footing in the American economy. 

A Brief Crash Course on Union-Busting

Union-busting has been an issue since unions came about. Over the centuries now, the rich have used many tactics to keep workers from unionizing, from the Pinkertons to the FBI to government legislation. They use many different avenues to break strikes, silence workers, and coerce government officials to pass laws detrimental to worker organization.

Then… Reagan happened.

In 1981, the members of the Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization went on strike with the goal of higher wages and increased benefits. While technically illegal since they were government employees, the strike went on for a mere two days before Reagan ordered the firing of all those who participated in the strike. That firing amounted to 11,345 people who lost their jobs and were barred from working for the government again. This diabolical move by Reagan set a precedent of America being anti-strike, which has continued to this day.

Since Reagan, anti-union behavior has only increased. Reagan also deregulated many industries, allowing them to bar union actions or fire union leaders altogether. 

Modern Union-Busting

Starbucks is one of the most notorious companies when it comes to union busting. They use a ton of different tactics to dissuade workers from potentially unionizing. From forcing workers to watch anti-union propaganda to holding meetings to discuss the penalties and downsides to a union, Starbucks will stop at nothing to avoid giving concessions to organized labor.

According to an anonymous Starbucks employee from Davis I interviewed, their store hosts meetings in which outside union-hating speakers are brought in to demonstrate how “bad” a union would be for the store. In these meetings, the store manager and guest speaker tell the workers that the union will “steal their money, take their voice, and hurt store sales.” All of these things are not only untrue, but are meant to dissuade workers from organizing. And, sadly, it works. Workers don’t know enough about unionization to really resist talking points like this, and oftentimes they just accept the anti-union propaganda.

Not to mention the anti-union propaganda, Starbucks also has a demonstrated history of firing workers for dubious reasons when they seem to support unions. When Starbucks CEO  Howard Schultz testified in front of Congress on anti-union activity, Bernie Sanders brought up multiple workers who had been fired under these dubious reasons when they were trying to organize their workplace. Although this hearing was national news, little came of it. Starbucks is still using these tactics currently, even going as far as closing all unionized stores in Ithaca, New York by the end of May.

Railway workers in 2022 went on strike for better benefits and better wages, including sick pay, which many of them did not receive by default. This strike was going to be one of the biggest in history. That is, until President Joe Biden and the Democratic party shut it down. Biden shut down the strike before it could even kick into gear, preventing a nationwide strike, but also angering thousands of railway workers. The new deal that Biden negotiated with railway companies did not include sick pay, one of the main things that workers were striking for. This demonstrated the way that even the government can come in and union-bust.

Success Stories

In March 2022, Amazon warehouse JFK8 and its nearly 8,300 workers voted to unionize in one of the biggest historic wins for unions in history. Amazon, as we’ve discussed, is extremely anti-union and will stop at nothing to prevent worker control of the workplace. The warehouse workers were the first Amazon entity in the nation to unionize, which is huge. Amazon, in a statement, said they were “disappointed” by the results. Since the unionization, they’ve gone through all available legal channels to fight the results, but so far they have failed to fight back against the union. 

Even here at home, in Davis, there are union movements happening. For instance, the Peet’s in North Davis unionized in early 2023, becoming the first of its kind in the entire United States. This was a huge step, especially for our small town, as it proves that even in Davis, workers can fight for their rights. I will be talking about the Peet’s unionizing in an upcoming podcast episode, so keep an ear out for that.

What Is to Be Done?

There must be wide-reaching and totally encompassing legislation put into place that prevents companies from union-busting. First, there has to be enough demand nationwide for unions to be more common. One of the easiest steps in achieving this is education and information dissemination. People have to know. Currently established unions have to do a better job at sharing how well their unions benefit their workers, and how things like union dues are insignificant in the face of higher wages and benefits. 

Unions need to do a better job at being politically involved. Instead of simply donating to politicians and hoping they vote pro-union in their legislatures, unions have to put in the legwork and essentially proselytize the good word of unions through political action. Ad campaigns, mail pieces, and other political forms of communication can all be used to spread the word of unions. 

Ultimately, unions need to be more widespread in the US if our democracy is to continue to function. If union-busting is allowed to continue or even get worse than its current rate, there should be concern about the rise of corporations and their control over our day-to-day lives.