Labor Day 2025
Isn’t it somewhat appropriate that on Labor Day, it was reported that union membership has fallen below 10 percent of the workforce? In 1983 that percentage was 20%. Much of union membership is now with government workers. In the private sector only 5.9% are union members and a third of those are in the teachers’ unions – government worker too. Is this good or bad for the country? Of course the democrats will say this is bad because it means less money flowing into democrat coffers. Republicans will say that the declining membership is good for the country. The Pew Research Center bears this out and reports “Today, 82% of Democrats say this decline has been bad for the country, up from 69% who said this a year ago. 85% of Democrats also say the decline in union membership has been bad for working people, up from 74% in 2024. By contrast, majorities of Republicans and GOP leaners continue to say that the decline in union membership has been good for the country (62%) and for working people (59%).”
An important question is why then do the unions continue to occupy an outsized influence in American politics? President Trump has catered to them with the Teamsters’ president speaking at the republican national convention. His vice president loves unions. Remember when Vance showed up on a picket line during the auto workers strike? At least the Teamsters for once did not endorse the democrat candidate for president. But they didn’t endorse Trump either. Trump then went as far as to install as his labor secretary a Teamster favorite who opposed right to work laws and voted to repeal them when she was in the House. I guess for the republicans, the unions matter only in the states where they might make a difference like Ohio and Pennsylvania.
Again my good friend Frank Glassner offers his encyclopedic view of the world. Happy Labor Day Frank!
haroldblackphd.com 
I will read the longer link with the idea that it must prove some hypothesis. As ordinary workers are replaced by tech or AI , those that are left have better working conditions than previous generations. As well as all workers. Thanks to organized labor..
And : Unions came about, due to the establishment of corporate roles. Bosses that no one saw. But I have worked for corporate who fed the workers free sit-down meals, and ate with them as well- and that established a genial work place. No unions necessary. Because grievances laid out on the spot..
I’ve walked into an all- union construction site, to install audio- visual theater. The screens needed heavy lifting. Union said they couldn’t help me- but they could push the screen frame up as long as their hands didn’t touch the frame; they used a 2×4. I was surprised at how workers maintained union pledges..
Vance had better be pro- union, since he claims roots in Appalachia; mining is worker against boss.
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