We live in odd, contradictory times. Union density sits at a historic low for the private sector, but union petitions are up. Big Labor is also looking to grow its waning numbers by appealing to younger workers, who are often unfamiliar with living under a union constitution. These workers haven’t yet experienced watching their dues money lead to sellout deals and supporting lavish lifestyles for corrupt union officers.
It also cannot be stressed enough that workers under 30 also sit in a different place economically than Boomers and Gen X did decades ago. Young people today have already weathered multiple “once in a lifetime events” that strained the economy and made frontline and essential work more stressful than pre-pandemic. They are frustrated and looking for solutions that unions are all too happy to (falsely) promise. Hence, it’s no wonder that the Center for American Progress claims that Gen Z holds a 64.3% approval rating for unions.
Additionally, the Economics Policy Institute recently published an analytical report from the University of California and MIT Sloan School of Management researchers who scrutinized data collected by the Worker Empowerment Research Network. The report arrived with a headline about ”The Rise Of The ‘Union Curious,” i.e., workers who don’t strongly oppose or favor unions but are open to hearing what organizers are selling. According to the report, this is the case because these workers feel that their employers do not listen to their concerns, particularly regarding lower-wage jobs with added concerns such as safety issues or labor shortages.
How significant is this issue? The report found that 45% of workers under 30 fall into the “union curious” category, so it’s no wonder that unions are targeting Gen Z in various ways, including organizing progressive companies and growing aggressive with organizing efforts in the retail, warehouse, food service, academia, hospitality, and healthcare.
To complicate matters further, these workspaces are also increasingly infiltrated with paid salts who will be long gone by the time any possible buyer’s remorse sets in. That is to say, the tide will often eventually turn back, but for now, unions are stirring up interest from workers that cannot be ignored. This leads to mainstream news reports featuring young workers who are convinced that their dues money will be a mere drop in the bucket compared to what the unions purport to deliver.
Additionally, this situation could worsen in the coming years since the workforce is growing younger, and each passing year is full of retiring Baby Boomers in many industries. Younger workers will need to fill that workplace vacuum in the coming years, and Big Labor is ready and waiting to pounce on those prospective recruits.
A look at recent Gallup polls points towards overall public approval for unions being on the upswing since around 2017. Add that to Gen Z’s openness towards unions, and employers would do well to look inward on whether their lines of communication remain fully open for workers to express concerns and issues directly.
