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U.S. Labor Unions Are Having a Moment

Workers are finding they suddenly have the upper hand—or at least, more solid footing—when it comes to negotiating wages and benefits.

A Deere & Co. worker holds a sign during a strike outside the John Deere Des Moines Works facility in Ankeny, Iowa on Oct. 15. 

A Deere & Co. worker holds a sign during a strike outside the John Deere Des Moines Works facility in Ankeny, Iowa on Oct. 15. 

Photographer: Rachel Mummey/Bloomberg
By
Ian Kullgren, Brian Eckhouse and Deena Shanker
Updated on

U.S. organized labor is having a moment after decades of erosion in both influence and power, giving workers their best chance in recent memory to claw back lost ground. 

In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, unions are finding they suddenly have the upper hand—or at least, more solid footing—when it comes to negotiating wages and benefits, spurring a flurry of new picket lines. Nearly 40 workplaces across the nation have gone on strike since Aug. 1, according to Bloomberg Law’s database of work stoppages, almost double the number during the same period last year.