It's Too Soon for Workers to Pop the Champagne
Unions made a lot of noise this summer, but labor laws and regulations remain roadblocks to better benefits, safety and higher wages.
There is more work to be done.
Photographer: ANGELA WEISS/AFPThings seem to be looking up for unions. WGA and SAG-AFTRA have brought Hollywood to a screeching halt, and a tentative deal has been reached between the WGA and studios. United Parcel Service Inc.’s workers secured a substantial wage increase. The United Auto Workers are now on strike against the nation’s largest automakers — the first time the union has hit every one of the “Big Three” at once. And polling data released last month indicated that two-thirds of Americans approve of unions, a level last seen in 1965.
But before workers crack open the champagne, they should understand that unions face a sad state of affairs that neither public opinion nor high-profile strikes can fix. A series of decades-old regulations have tipped the balance of power against organized labor.