http://www.theatlantic.com/business/arc … ad/412831/A raft of research—some new, some old—suggests that it’s a shame that unions were absent in Democrats’ most publicized recent conversation. Some of that research is coming from unlikely places; the International Monetary Fund, for instance, recommended reviving unions as a way for democracies to grow their economies and boost productivity.
In the U.S., where less than 9 percent of private-sector workers are organized, they could use a revival. The U.S. has one of the lowest unionization rates in the world, far behind Germany and Canada, and closer to Mexico and South Korea.
The U.S.’s low unionization rates come with consequences for its workers. It leads rich nations in low-wage jobs—more than 20 percent of jobs pay less than two-thirds of the median wage. And the U.S. ranks in the bottom third of countries in terms of its work-life balance. Americans work about 1,790 hours per year on average, but workers in most wealthier nations work less than 1,600. 11.8 percent of American adults work long hours; less than 1 percent of Dutch workers put in more than 50 hours a week.
Reviving unions could be a way to counter these trends. The IMF concluded that countries with higher rates of union coverage enjoy lower rates of inequality and lower rates of poverty. Its researchers reasoned that because globalization and technology affect just about every nation, differences in unionization rates and labor regulations are more likely to explain differences in inequality across nations.
That's very interesting coming from the IMF.
It is strange how far away the U.S. has gotten away from the idea of unionization. The government and business leaders used to push unionism as the alternative to communism. Unions are a good way to get workers invested in the survival of the business and business owners knew that their workers wouldn't try to overthrow the company if they felt they were getting a fair deal.
Somehow along the way, our leaders started to see unions as an obstacle rather than an organizational tool. I think the 1% and upper classes have gotten way too comfortable with success and take their security for granted. Either they are delusional about their survivability or they have really been brainwashed with this super capitalist stuff.
What do you think about unions?
