An Explosion of Union Activity in the US and What it Means

Top of Mind with Julie Rose

The US is experiencing an unusual spike in union activity. Younger workers are organizing in workplaces that have not traditionally been unionized. Established unions are staging historic strikes and securing significant concessions from employers – including items beyond the traditional scope of labor negotiations. Public support for unions is at its highest level in nearly 60 years. So, organized labor is having a moment. Why? And what might it mean for the future of labor in America? In this podcast episode, we look at the role of income inequality, inflation, the pandemic and GenZ attitudes toward labor to explain this unique moment in union activity. We talk with labor organizers at Starbucks and Stanford to understand why young people are turning to unions to meet their needs. And we speak with a veteran labor leader and contract negotiator about how established unions are adapting to new kinds of demands from workers in this moment. We also consider the opportunity this moment offers for employees and employers in the US to embrace a more collaborative approach to work in America. One option we explore in-detail is the historic labor management partnership between Kaiser Permanente and its employee unions. Podcast Guests: Thomas Kochan, professor emeritus at the MIT Sloan School of Management and the Institute for Work and Employment Research. Amanda Rivera, Starbucks shift supervisor and labor organizer for Starbucks Workers United. Thom Chaffee, fourth year Ph.D. worker and bargaining committee representative for the Stanford Graduate Workers Union. Gaylan Prescott, director of District 12 for the United Steelworkers