Nonunion worker groups have been popping up for the last decade and while much of that movement began with a real intention by Big Labor unions (or more specifically, the Service Employees) to boost their ranks through the largely untapped collective of minimum wage workers in the restaurant and service industries, we have seen a significant shift in recent years toward independently-led worker groups looking to come together to effect change on a societal level.
On occasion though, we do see a worker center transition toward union representation. Late last month, KY 120 United, a Kentucky worker group, did just that when it joined with the American Federation of Teachers. KY 120 United stood out in 2018 when they began holding sick-outs (protesting workers would call in sick on the same day) as a way to skirt the Kentucky law that says it is illegal for public employees to strike, regardless of union representation.
