The fall (and rise?) of unions in the US

We answered a viewer’s question about the decline of unionization.
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“How come we’ve seen such a decline in unionization in the US?” That’s the question we received from one of our viewers, Cameron when we put out a call for topics to explain. It comes at an interesting time.
Earlier this year, the Amazon Labor Union won its first election at a large warehouse in New York, and more than 200 Starbucks locations have voted to unionize since baristas in Buffalo broke the seal in December 2021. The National Labor Relations Board reports that petitions for union elections are up 56 percent this year compared to 2021.
This level of energy and momentum in the labor movement is remarkable in light of the long, steep decline in union membership rates since the 1950s. Social science has limited tools for establishing what caused that decline, and different experts tend to emphasize different factors. But in the video above, we dig into a few key drivers of low union density in the US relative to other wealthy countries.
Sources:
Barry Eidlin, Labor and the Class Idea in the United States and Canada barryeidlin.org/theclassidea/
Nelson Lichtenstein, State of the Union press.princeton.edu/books/pap...
Zachary Schaller, “Decomposing the Decline of Unions: Revisiting Sectoral and Regional Shifts” journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/...
OECD, “Collective bargaining systems and workers’ voice arrangements in OECD countries” www.oecd-ilibrary.org/sites/a...
Barry T. Hirsch and David A. Macpherson unionstats.com/
Bloomberg Law news.bloomberglaw.com/daily-l... news.bloomberglaw.com/bloombe...
Economic Policy Institute www.epi.org/unequalpower/publ...
Gallup news.gallup.com/poll/12751/la...
Thomas Kochan et al “Worker Voice in America: Is There a Gap between What Workers Expect and What They Experience?” journals.sagepub.com/doi/full...
Alejandro Reuss, “What’s Behind Union Decline in the United States?” dollarsandsense.org/archives/...
Henry Farber, Bruce Western, Accounting for the Decline of Unions in the Private Sector, 1973-1998, link.springer.com/article/10....
G. William Domhoff, “The Rise and Fall of Labor Unions In The U.S.” whorulesamerica.ucsc.edu/powe...
Michael Goldfield and Amy Bromsen, “The Changing Landscape of US Unions in Historical and Theoretical Perspective” www.annualreviews.org/doi/10....
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Пікірлер: 1 200

  • @Vox
    @Vox Жыл бұрын

    If you're like Cameron and you have big questions about what's happening in the world today, we'd like to help find your answer! Fill out our form and your question could be answered next: forms.gle/Mgp2oqa3gr8tNw1M7 Please note that for this format, we're only accepting video questions via the form above. Thanks for watching!

  • @Coolsomeone234

    @Coolsomeone234

    Жыл бұрын

    This comment feels like a scam

  • @bhaveshjain1044

    @bhaveshjain1044

    Жыл бұрын

    Hey @vox love what u guys do..i hope u focus on other countries too like India . Don't be fixated on the west.. Besides hire me for India 🤣 pls. N glad u are allowing those questions again though video is the only format to shoot that question..i hope it gets selected when i send u one

  • @khalilshahyd9063

    @khalilshahyd9063

    Жыл бұрын

    Two books - 1.) Race, Money and the American Welfare State by Michael K. Brown and 2.) Black and Blue: African-Ams, the Labor Movement, and the Decline of the Democratic Party by Paul Frymer tell the central role of racism in the decline of unions and should be a part of this story.

  • @AlexeiLjanej

    @AlexeiLjanej

    Жыл бұрын

    Why do some of Vox’s charts have gaps in them?

  • @rezakarampour6286

    @rezakarampour6286

    Жыл бұрын

    ' The End of American Empire Is Here '

  • @jbant9294
    @jbant9294 Жыл бұрын

    Without watching I’m going to blindly assume Reagan is behind this and see if I’m wrong

  • @onomatopoeia162003

    @onomatopoeia162003

    Жыл бұрын

    KEKW

  • @euanvanstraaten4971

    @euanvanstraaten4971

    Жыл бұрын

    Yeah I would say this video try to discover multiple reasons for this decline. In reality, it was as simple as people like reagan allowed so if people tried to organize and strike for their labour rights, they’d either be replaced with cheaper labour or fired so people were like, what’s the point? I’m other words, the boss can do whatever he wants

  • @night6724

    @night6724

    Жыл бұрын

    how was Reagan behind it? Breaking up one union didn’t do anything and unions were already declining before Reagan

  • @newsaxonyproductions7871

    @newsaxonyproductions7871

    Жыл бұрын

    @@euanvanstraaten4971 I did find interesting, though, how they provided info on how the percent of unionized manufacturing jobs has remained about the same and the national decline in unionization has largely been through a growth in service industries which start off as non-union

  • @rainbow28453

    @rainbow28453

    Жыл бұрын

    It's to do with a greater shift in the global economy during the Thatcher-Reagan era. Massive deregulation, defunding of social welfare etc etc. There is obviously a greater multifaceted historical context to the decline of unions, but the point is that Reagan was a major cause for the decline in the quality of life of working people around the world.

  • @tinhov1
    @tinhov1 Жыл бұрын

    As a european, it is always curious to see, that in (nearly) every social issue the US faces today, Reagan is involved in some form or another.

  • @lahavzaken6638

    @lahavzaken6638

    Жыл бұрын

    He ruined us in many ways

  • @soorian6493

    @soorian6493

    Жыл бұрын

    He was our Thatcher

  • @ericcarabetta1161

    @ericcarabetta1161

    Жыл бұрын

    He was the worst thing to ever happen to this country, and unfortunately it has affected the planet and other countries too; sorry about that. Reagan was the beginning of the neoliberal capitalist robbery that would plan to gut the entire country to its bones, stripping everything and anything of value and putting it into private hands, anything that benefited anyone was to be destroyed. They are right on track to collapse the entire country by 2030, after they have cleared the vault of any remaining valuables; Social Security, Medicare, and the VA.

  • @Bobywan75

    @Bobywan75

    Жыл бұрын

    @@soorian6493 Macron is the French Thatcher/Reagan.

  • @c.w.8200

    @c.w.8200

    Жыл бұрын

    Regan should be a name as cursed as Hitler and Stalin.

  • @VNExperience
    @VNExperience Жыл бұрын

    In Finland, on my first day working in construction my boss recommended that I join the union. He even helped me fill in the paperwork after explaining all the benefits in detail. Everyone I knew was in the union, and for a good reason. If you lost your job or were treated unfairly, the union provided legal assistance and took care of you financially until you got a new job. It really pays to unionize. Our unions were born out of the early 20th century American movement and they're still going strong. Sadly, it seems that's not the case in the country that inspired them.

  • @Coolsomeone234

    @Coolsomeone234

    Жыл бұрын

    That's Finland though

  • @macgobhann8712

    @macgobhann8712

    Жыл бұрын

    @@Coolsomeone234 and?

  • @loturzelrestaurant

    @loturzelrestaurant

    Жыл бұрын

    IF YOURE INTERESTED: The Best Worker-Struggle and Union Coverage was and still is the VIdeos of 'Some More News' and 'Second Thought'.

  • @axthla8435

    @axthla8435

    Жыл бұрын

    @3 kilometres I’m not sure if there is any one particular article, but in general, it was atleast partially due to the union boom in the US during the 50’s and 60’s in which workers in Europe (most notably northern europe) started getting into unions themselves.

  • @Lavabug

    @Lavabug

    Жыл бұрын

    @@100c0c International Worker's Day was born in the US during the May Day riots and that inspired a lot of worker movements globally. But maybe there's something more recent that inspired unions in Finland?

  • @jfridy
    @jfridy Жыл бұрын

    At my wife's job, Half Price Books, they are holding seminars about the dangers of unions. They tell them that unions will lead to lower wages, less job security, less benefits. This all started when the company fired half of its employees 2 years ago and replaced them with part timers with no benefits. Then the Wisconsin Half Price Book stores unionized. They company considered shutting down all of them and abandoning the state, and now is trying to contain what they see is a contagion. Did I mention that Half Price Books is based out of Texas? Unions are seen as dangerous COMMUNISM, and a threat to the companies massive profits in the last 2 years. Don't shop at Half Price Books.

  • @KevinContreras2013

    @KevinContreras2013

    Жыл бұрын

    Noted. Thank you!

  • @Lavabug

    @Lavabug

    Жыл бұрын

    @@Paonporteur I know your comment is disingenuous, but here are the facts. Corporations are responsible for open borders policies that enable businesses to hire desperate highly educated people at well below market rates, then keep them trapped and threaten them with visa troubles if they don't work 80hrs and do as they're told. Some immigration restrictions are necessary to protect all workers from employer abuse. That said US immigration is way less strict than in a lot of the West. Nordic countries are notoriously harsh, but they actually force employers to prove that hiring a foreigner won't be done at a wage less than the national average. Good for all workers. Unions do much more than you give them credit for with such a dishonest statement.

  • @roshnipatel2000

    @roshnipatel2000

    Жыл бұрын

    Dang, I really like half priced books. Guess I’ll just go to the library, then.

  • @jaedubbo

    @jaedubbo

    Жыл бұрын

    Thank you for sharing this! I used to work at a half price books and it was definitely an experience when it came to management, but this was all in 2019. I'm grossed out that HPB is out here spreading lies about unions and attempting to instill a sense of fear into its workers. Working at HPB requires manual labor along with standing for hours and providing customer service, even to the people who treat you terribly. Of course this isn't unique to HPB work, but I say this because workers at HPB deserve to unionize in peace. I won't be shopping at half price books anymore. I encourage anyone who reads this to support their local libraries as there's so many free resources offered, some that you would be surprised to know of. I say this as a current librarian and someone who wants everyone to be able to have access to the resources they need for free or as close to free as possible

  • @Hoodiemorr

    @Hoodiemorr

    Жыл бұрын

    Mine closed down months ago. Good riddance.

  • @cameronf3343
    @cameronf3343 Жыл бұрын

    I like how there were maybe 3 decades or so that it was financially prosperous for the middle class - could have a husband, wife, and 2+ kids on one income and still be financially sustainable - and it was when union memberships were highest.

  • @Cecilia-ky3uw

    @Cecilia-ky3uw

    Жыл бұрын

    *Also when the Americans were the only ones with an industry unharmed.

  • @intricatic

    @intricatic

    Жыл бұрын

    @@100c0c It was also when we didn't have a diffused global supply chain since most production was done domestically (the hardware was all right there and it wasn't cheaper to simply abandon all those factories for more desperate labor overseas, via legislative subsidy).

  • @amaizeing.dumbass5123

    @amaizeing.dumbass5123

    Жыл бұрын

    @@intricatic that was when the US had a 1/6 of the population it has in present day

  • @blondie7240

    @blondie7240

    Жыл бұрын

    They explained why that was, union membership followed the economy. When the economy suffered union membership followed, not the other way around.

  • @felixlpilon
    @felixlpilon Жыл бұрын

    It must be noted that Québec drives the 'Canadian' average way up by being included in the statistics despite having a very different economy. The Québec economy has a much larger public sector (including gigantic State-owned companies such as Hydro-Québec) and very union-friendly legislation. The unionization rate in Québec is nearly 40%, while Ontario's is barely above 25%.

  • @felixlpilon

    @felixlpilon

    Жыл бұрын

    Also, hiring scabs is outright illegal.

  • @johnsamuel1999

    @johnsamuel1999

    Жыл бұрын

    Too powerful unions are quite bad . We see that in public sector jobs ( like state owned corporations and government jobs ) . They demand too much money and benefits for what the labor is worth . They make it too difficult to release or remove employees. And they protect bad employees (slackers , trouble makers or unproductive employees). They also lead to price fixing of labour when different unions work with each other to bargain for wages . They also organize stikes , which cause huge disruption and hold entire operations hostage until their demands are meet

  • @night6724

    @night6724

    Жыл бұрын

    Unions are insanely corrupt

  • @night6724

    @night6724

    Жыл бұрын

    And Quebec is insanely corrupt

  • @RaulNecrobie

    @RaulNecrobie

    Жыл бұрын

    @@johnsamuel1999 You speak like a greedy capitalist..

  • @lylaburmeister8076
    @lylaburmeister8076 Жыл бұрын

    So strange seeing the percentages for union members on that chart as someone currently living in Sweden. I mean, here roughly 3/4 of the work force is in a union. I mean, at my current workplace, there are even posters up with information about the union as well as the phone numbers and email to our local representative so that everyone is aware of their existence and feels like they can join them and contact them for anything.

  • @user-vj8pi3yn9x

    @user-vj8pi3yn9x

    Жыл бұрын

    just the opposite i think🤣🤣

  • @jeffersonclippership2588

    @jeffersonclippership2588

    Жыл бұрын

    Americans are infected with serf mentality. Centuries ago in Sweden, and the rest of Europe, people were taught the nobility had God given power to rule over everyone and that people were obligated to obey and never question them. Modern Americans believe the exact same thing but we've replaced the nobility with capitalists and God with the free market.

  • @GoogelyeyesSaysHej

    @GoogelyeyesSaysHej

    Жыл бұрын

    Deltagande i facket har sjunkit mycket tyvärr, det brukade ligga på 88%

  • @GoogelyeyesSaysHej

    @GoogelyeyesSaysHej

    Жыл бұрын

    Also, fun fact for you americans: even the bosses in companies have their own union. There are different unions for each sector. Some examples are: engineers, teachers, hotel staff, store workers, construction workers, factory workers, nurses and so on.

  • @mcfrosty8739

    @mcfrosty8739

    Жыл бұрын

    Same here in the UK, my department isn't huge at all but yet we have our own Union rep who has his own office for confidential discussions, got paid by the company to attend teaching days to get him up to scratch with how to do the Union job etc. We even have our own Union for our section of the country which probably only really involves one other fairly-decent sized company.

  • @nicoles9373
    @nicoles9373 Жыл бұрын

    I’m a unionized Canadian worker, and I make $4-5/hour more than others doing the exact same job as me in the same city (6 workplaces in the same industry here). The benefits that being a union member confers are real and measurable, and when more workplaces are union the standard of living will go up for all workers, because companies feel the pressure to compete.

  • @Cecilia-ky3uw

    @Cecilia-ky3uw

    Жыл бұрын

    *It also creates a difficult situation for some companies either becoming unprofitable or creating signifigant barriers to entry for smaller businesses

  • @nicoles9373

    @nicoles9373

    Жыл бұрын

    @@Cecilia-ky3uw Then why is it that there were more small businesses back in the heyday of unions, 1950s-1970s? Massive conglomerates are the enemy of small businesses, not unions. They undercut prices until they drive their competition to extinction. To combat this, strong anti-trust legislation is what we need. Furthermore, businesses that can only survive by paying wages that have to be subsidized by the government (tax payers) via low-income housing, food stamp programs, etc, should not exist. The existence of unions are not a barrier to entry - they force companies to innovate, to see where they can be more efficient in order maximize the amount they can pay their employees. Make no mistake, the truly entrepreneurial already do this - but without a union, the fruits of that innovation go to like the pockets of shareholders, and shareholders alone.

  • @MagDrag123

    @MagDrag123

    Жыл бұрын

    @@Cecilia-ky3uw If a business can't pay its workers well, then it probably shouldn't exist.

  • @Cecilia-ky3uw

    @Cecilia-ky3uw

    Жыл бұрын

    @@MagDrag123 secondly, say bye to your local supermarket and a potential majority of businesses or expect some massive inflation

  • @Silvermoon1142

    @Silvermoon1142

    Жыл бұрын

    Do your union dues eat up that extra 4-5$ an hour that you make? If so it might mean that you technically break even and your employer has to pay more because there is a union. When I ran the numbers on places I could work that had unions and places I could work that didn't I found that after subtracting the union dues the paychecks were pretty much the same.

  • @dama9150
    @dama9150 Жыл бұрын

    The irony that Reagan was the only president in history who was a union leader! (Actros Union) He conveniently hid that fact.

  • @night6724

    @night6724

    Жыл бұрын

    No he didn’t he was proud of it. Reagan wasn’t anti union. He was too pro free trade which lead to manufacturing to move to China since unions were overly demanding

  • @Coolsomeone234

    @Coolsomeone234

    Жыл бұрын

    @@night6724 Biden is also very pro union

  • @night6724

    @night6724

    Жыл бұрын

    @@Coolsomeone234 and that’s a bad thing. What good have unions done in the last 60 years? Also why do these videos ignore Taft Hartley? Because they need their narrative to be that unions created the middle class in the 50s when that wasn’t true and even then they had much less power than during the new deal era Unions are terrible

  • @KRYMauL

    @KRYMauL

    Жыл бұрын

    @@night6724 Regan was a good President, and all he ever did was cut out bloat that other Presidents demolished. Those policies were never put back in place, though.

  • @MrJason005

    @MrJason005

    Жыл бұрын

    @@night6724 What good have unions done in the last 60 years? Well, they guaranteed the 5-day work week for starters. How about good wages for workers? Or reasonable hours? Etc.

  • @piekay7285
    @piekay7285 Жыл бұрын

    Germany has something called the „Betriebsrat“, every company with more than 10 employees is legally required to create one. You can imagine it like a Union inside of the company, but it isn‘t included in these statistics, because it doesn’t count as a Union…

  • @benduncan4027

    @benduncan4027

    Жыл бұрын

    Not only Germany, a lot of European countries have that.

  • @adud6764

    @adud6764

    Жыл бұрын

    No, they are not required to create one, they just can't oppose it.

  • @Nuke_Skywalker

    @Nuke_Skywalker

    Жыл бұрын

    like when lidl employees wanted to and tgen got sabotaged by managers

  • @Jonas_M_M

    @Jonas_M_M

    Жыл бұрын

    I prefer these councils over unions as they aren't set up for conflict.

  • @CloroxBleachCompany

    @CloroxBleachCompany

    Жыл бұрын

    Those would be more akin to “HR departments” than labor unions which are actually run by the employees.

  • @sadjesse
    @sadjesse Жыл бұрын

    In Belgium, every company with 50 or more employees is mandatory to have a union. So most companies exist of a lot of separate small companies of max 49 employees within one building for example.

  • @Zarincos

    @Zarincos

    Жыл бұрын

    @Bob Smith Is that even bad? I mean, obviously it's an annoying thing to get around requirements, but I don't think that it creates any bad situation other than leaving employees where they'd be without the requirement in the first place.

  • @miroslavhoudek7085

    @miroslavhoudek7085

    Жыл бұрын

    @Bob Smith So true. Negotiating for your salary is just a waste of productive labor that you can do on a lower salary.

  • @axelnils

    @axelnils

    Жыл бұрын

    In Sweden, unions are completely independent of companies. Anyone can join or leave a union for people employed in similar jobs, at any time, and around 80% of employees do. The union is profession or sector based and negotiates with every employer in that sector. This gives the unions significant power.

  • @agme8045

    @agme8045

    Жыл бұрын

    @@axelnils same in argentina, but here unions are literally mafias, they have way too much power and money bc of local policies. For eg they get to manage all of the healthcare of the workers

  • @loturzelrestaurant

    @loturzelrestaurant

    Жыл бұрын

    @@axelnils IF YOURE INTERESTED: The Best Worker-Struggle and Union Coverage was and still is the Videos of 'Some More News' and 'Second Thought'.

  • @c-5921
    @c-5921 Жыл бұрын

    It's really weird that the Taft-Hartley Act wasn't even mentioned. Taft-Hartley basically neutered unions and corresponds exactly with the decline of union membership.

  • @BTrain-is8ch

    @BTrain-is8ch

    Жыл бұрын

    Not mentioning right to work laws was unexpected. That said, if unions can't maintain themselves without coercion they shouldn't exist.

  • @loturzelrestaurant

    @loturzelrestaurant

    Жыл бұрын

    @@BTrain-is8ch IF YOURE INTERESTED: The Best Worker-Struggle and Union Coverage was and still is the Videos of 'Some More News' and 'Second Thought'.

  • @night6724

    @night6724

    Жыл бұрын

    @@BTrain-is8ch so people shouldn’t have the right ot work?

  • @night6724

    @night6724

    Жыл бұрын

    Because liberals want the 50s to be the era of strong unions

  • @blitcut9712

    @blitcut9712

    Жыл бұрын

    @@night6724 Right to work laws don't have anything to do with peoples right to work. It simply prohibits having a requirement to join a union to be employed at a business.

  • @leemoore9400
    @leemoore9400 Жыл бұрын

    As a union member is am just so happy that I work in a union job. And yes I pay $60 a month in union dues but that translates to me getting 3 weeks paid vacation plus 13 sick days per year and only having to spend $500 a year on medical expenses before insurance covers everything else. Also a great retirement package

  • @Ilikefire2793

    @Ilikefire2793

    Жыл бұрын

    How much is hourly?

  • @Heyelve

    @Heyelve

    Жыл бұрын

    Can I ask how did you get into unions? Is it a private union or a government?

  • @leemoore9400

    @leemoore9400

    Жыл бұрын

    @@Ilikefire2793 started at $18 in 2014 now at $31

  • @leemoore9400

    @leemoore9400

    Жыл бұрын

    @@Heyelve public union I work in municipal government

  • @Ilikefire2793

    @Ilikefire2793

    Жыл бұрын

    @@leemoore9400 Nice. Though how much was minimum wage at the time?

  • @nickzardiashvili624
    @nickzardiashvili624 Жыл бұрын

    Let's not ignore that excellent Squidward art behind Cameron.

  • @NewWaveEnthusiast

    @NewWaveEnthusiast

    Жыл бұрын

    Bold and brash.

  • @shinigummyl1586

    @shinigummyl1586

    Жыл бұрын

    Such a supreme taste of art

  • @tylerphuoc2653

    @tylerphuoc2653

    Жыл бұрын

    Antiunion sentiment? More like, belongs in the trash

  • @DylanJo123

    @DylanJo123

    Жыл бұрын

    @@tylerphuoc2653 GAHAHAHAHHAHA

  • @InevitableTruth247
    @InevitableTruth247 Жыл бұрын

    A video on how to unionize step by step would be amazing, especially for younger folks like myself who are interested in the prospect and can have the confidence to make the move with their co workers

  • @c.l.p.3691

    @c.l.p.3691

    Жыл бұрын

    There’s a lot of available information out there. If there’s a left leaning bookstore near you, that’s a good place to start. Even on twitter or other social media you’ll be able to find loads of people willing to help.

  • @itstaco761

    @itstaco761

    Жыл бұрын

    Just speak to a local union rep on your industry. Just look up the industry you're in and what union has coverage over it, and call/email them on their website. (this is at least how it generally works in Australia)

  • @CloroxBleachCompany

    @CloroxBleachCompany

    Жыл бұрын

    Most libraries have outdated material on unions and usually just focus on labor law instead of “salting” or the movements you might be describing, your best bet would be to reach out to labor organizers directly. Some successful union campaigns in recent years: Amazon union election, Fight for $15, Justice for Janitors, and to a certain degree employee vs. self-contractor designation for those who work in the gig economy. Teamsters, SEIU, and AFL-CIO tend to be more politically engaged and like to “activate” workers even in industries that they don’t yet represent (e.g. Uber drivers), other unions like police, fire, or those who handle machinery tend to focus on themselves and their employees instead growing the broader labor movement.

  • @uvbe

    @uvbe

    Жыл бұрын

    Sure, there is information out there. But that doesn't mean Vox can't release a guide too. They'd probably do it way more comprehensibly than most other information you could find.

  • @night6724

    @night6724

    Жыл бұрын

    Unions are insanely corrupt and a money laundering scheme

  • @Julio974
    @Julio974 Жыл бұрын

    Interesting to see all the hurdles to workers’ rights in the US, especially from France where we have a constitutional right to unionize

  • @bullydungeon9631

    @bullydungeon9631

    Жыл бұрын

    The US is like 6 corporations in a trench coat pretending to be a country, and three of those corporations keep lobing bombs at other countries

  • @khanch.6807

    @khanch.6807

    Жыл бұрын

    @@bullydungeon9631 Why don't you use the 2nd amendment to fix it? It's not just for defence or school shooting.

  • @Shoobster

    @Shoobster

    Жыл бұрын

    @@khanch.6807 What do you mean by this? Could you share an example?

  • @PremierCCGuyMMXVI

    @PremierCCGuyMMXVI

    Жыл бұрын

    And yet people claim the United States is the “best country” in the world smh 🤦‍♂️

  • @CloroxBleachCompany

    @CloroxBleachCompany

    Жыл бұрын

    I wouldn’t use France as a model for unionization. The country is stereotyped for constantly being on strike and producing the bare minimum which is why their country has limited industries. Germany would probably be a better model for the U.S. since their workers have similar work ethic, but even so American companies don’t like 2-3 month gaps due to holiday 😂

  • @MrMtanz
    @MrMtanz Жыл бұрын

    For the history of unions segment, you should have mentioned the Hormel strike during the 1980s

  • @theflorri
    @theflorri Жыл бұрын

    if management is so terrified of unions, there has to be a lot in it for the people who unionize

  • @Native722

    @Native722

    10 ай бұрын

    Giving employees too much power

  • @anthonymorandi9005

    @anthonymorandi9005

    2 ай бұрын

    Gives the employees power to negotiate with the employer to a reasonable standard. Many people fought and surprisingly died for it and it was tossed away. People don’t know this history of the U.S. Very well

  • @AussieTVMusic
    @AussieTVMusic Жыл бұрын

    It's amazing more Americans aren't in Unions considering the country was formed by a Union and they have a Union of states. Yet they let themselves be oppressed by business.

  • @JL-tm3rc

    @JL-tm3rc

    Жыл бұрын

    Just look at what happened to the agricultural workers in california. Many were replaced with machineries. Detroit car workers unionized and look what happened. Or how about the coal mining industry it declined at the start of unions. It seems every time unions get involved some workers lose their job and those who remain benefit

  • @Lavabug

    @Lavabug

    Жыл бұрын

    Mate it's not for a lack of trying. Read about the Ludlow massacre, WV mine wars, or CIO's sabotaged unionization of the South. For more recent examples, see how the Tennessee governor called the national guard as scab workers to replace striking union nurses. The government is owned by the rich and will use the military on workers who get out of line.

  • @AussieTVMusic

    @AussieTVMusic

    4 ай бұрын

    @@JL-tm3rc Yeah that's just untrue.

  • @KaritKtana
    @KaritKtana Жыл бұрын

    Americans, using Whatsapp?!? Vox floors me yet again!

  • @Dannybythebanana

    @Dannybythebanana

    Жыл бұрын

    Americans using WhatsApp, more likely than you think

  • @RokeJulianLockhart.s13ouq

    @RokeJulianLockhart.s13ouq

    Жыл бұрын

    ...?

  • @sirrivet9557

    @sirrivet9557

    Жыл бұрын

    Whatsapp in the us is mostly used now by various groups who for whatever reason believe they need an encrypted sort of anonymous service. Whatsapp really isn’t *that* great for it but that’s what people think so okay.

  • @danielschick7554

    @danielschick7554

    Жыл бұрын

    My ex is Colombiana so she required that I have Whatsapp on my phone for texting with her.

  • @aaronclift

    @aaronclift

    Жыл бұрын

    I use it to text me friends who don’t live in the United States.

  • @tonyrosetti2738
    @tonyrosetti2738 Жыл бұрын

    Teacher here. I've always hoped private sector folks would wake up to the power of organizing and how important it is for overall social cohesion. Employers don't like it but having power be a little more balanced will make things better for everyone.

  • @TurdFergusen

    @TurdFergusen

    Жыл бұрын

    Unions protect lazy and entitled people from being fired. Then if youre someone who cares about their job you have to pick up their slack, or give up become lazy too. Ask any California state employee.

  • @night6724

    @night6724

    Жыл бұрын

    Teacher unions are insanely corrupt. Unions in general are insanely corrupt. They don’t care about the workers. They’re a money laundering scheme. Also they’re insanely racist 😊

  • @night6724

    @night6724

    Жыл бұрын

    @Russ Ingram no they don’t. they’re an outlet for union bosses to make tons of money at the expense of the consumer. During the gilded age industrialists like rockefeller and carnegie maintained high wages and low hours despite weak unions. Unions are a mafia

  • @Cecilia-ky3uw

    @Cecilia-ky3uw

    Жыл бұрын

    *I would prefer that instead of organising strikes that Unions instead play the political game in a similar arrangement to that in WW2 with Samuel Gompers where everyone avoids strikes.

  • @houchi69

    @houchi69

    Жыл бұрын

    Except Unions can't save your jobs. When you were handed the slips, you need to go.

  • @Chineeex
    @Chineeex Жыл бұрын

    I love how Vox engages with their subscribers and actually makes a video answering his concerns regarding unions!

  • @kermitfrog593

    @kermitfrog593

    Жыл бұрын

    Well, I'm still waiting for them to make a video on the Mara Lago raid. Get on it, Vox!

  • @chrisaycock5965
    @chrisaycock5965 Жыл бұрын

    Yep.. Reaganomics ruined a lot of things.

  • @8is

    @8is

    Жыл бұрын

    At least it got us out of the crisis in the 70s. Right now, we're in a similar situation, perhaps we need a similar solution.

  • @chrisaycock5965

    @chrisaycock5965

    Жыл бұрын

    @@8is there’s not a really a great way out of it this time the expendable wealth of Americans is a lot lower than it was previously

  • @victorvelez8469

    @victorvelez8469

    Жыл бұрын

    Reagan’s policies didn’t actually get us out of the crisis in the 70s tho??? If you look at all into his policies effects you would know this?

  • @8is

    @8is

    Жыл бұрын

    @@chrisaycock5965 There's no great or painless solution to any crisis, but we have to face reality and accept our losses if we are to fix the situation.

  • @8is

    @8is

    Жыл бұрын

    @@victorvelez8469 What do you mean? His policies were specifically aimed at curving inflation, which he succeeded at.

  • @sem_identitificador
    @sem_identitificador Жыл бұрын

    The answer is symple: neoliberalism, for both questions

  • @night6724

    @night6724

    Жыл бұрын

    Unions were corrupt that’s the answer

  • @kyrerymmukk7446

    @kyrerymmukk7446

    Жыл бұрын

    No. Wrong. Good try. Why did unions start to decline? Regan, obviously. Why did they continue to decline? Conservative elite ideals (and tactics) pushed into the markets by regressive employers. Duh.

  • @sem_identitificador

    @sem_identitificador

    Жыл бұрын

    @@kyrerymmukk7446 bruhhh Reagan was the most neoliberal president of the USA, basically the american margaret thatcher. And waht you call "conservative elite ideals (and tactics) pushed into the markets by regressive employers" is neoliberalism in another words. Now the union moviment is having comeback because people have had enough of the neoliberal policies and see no other way of having more rights than unionizing. Neoliberalism is being killed little by little ever since the 2008 market crisis and the Covid-19 pandemic was the nail in the coffin.

  • @dimamatat5548

    @dimamatat5548

    Жыл бұрын

    Neoliberalism came from the books of Friedman, and nothing he said had anything to do with opposijg trade unions. Friedman is gospel to neoliberals

  • @sem_identitificador

    @sem_identitificador

    Жыл бұрын

    @@dimamatat5548 Neoliberalism is not a coherent school of thought and many economic policies and governments such as, Reagan, Pinochet and Thatchet can be attributed to neoliberalism. So, Friedman and the Chicacago School is not the only source of neoliberal thought.

  • @joermnyc
    @joermnyc Жыл бұрын

    All foreign car makers that build their cars in the US (to avoid the costs and tariffs from importing) have their factories in Southern States that are unfriendly to Unions (especially the UAW.)

  • @Ilikefire2793

    @Ilikefire2793

    Жыл бұрын

    It has nothing to do with tariffs. shipping cars across the sea's is not easy or cheap due to standard container dimensions. Try loading cars into containers at any reasonable scale. Its literally impossible. Hence why they only due it with special rare and expensive import vehicles.

  • @benzero75

    @benzero75

    Жыл бұрын

    False. Every single state has workplaces with unions, so calling any of them unfriendly is without merit. Second, those foreign car makers have facilities and subsidiaries across the U.S., not just Southern states. Most of them even have facilities in Canada where union membership is more likely.

  • @joermnyc

    @joermnyc

    Жыл бұрын

    @@Ilikefire2793 they have cargo ships designed to carry cars, it’s basically a giant floating parking structure as there’s several decks to hold cars, and a ramp that folds out and raises up and down to each level (since there’s no port infrastructure like that). That’s what sank near the Canary Islands carrying all those high end cars from Europe.

  • @LeBoucleToledo

    @LeBoucleToledo

    Жыл бұрын

    Or they end up moving that production to Mexico because, you know, cheaper labor.

  • @benzero75

    @benzero75

    Жыл бұрын

    @@LeBoucleToledo Should a business not be allowed to make a decision that is in their financial best interests? Also, are you aware of how many union workplaces in the U.S. still only make minimum wage or only slightly above it?

  • @PokhrajRoy.
    @PokhrajRoy. Жыл бұрын

    4:42 All roads to disaster lead to Ronald Reagan. Who’s surprised? Nobody.

  • @royalanempire2965

    @royalanempire2965

    Жыл бұрын

    Freaking Regan

  • @CaralynHarmon

    @CaralynHarmon

    Жыл бұрын

    I thought the exact same thing!

  • @hermanjean-baptiste3378

    @hermanjean-baptiste3378

    Жыл бұрын

    And or Nixon

  • @notaname1750

    @notaname1750

    Жыл бұрын

    @@hermanjean-baptiste3378 No or Just And Nixon. They were Big corporations 🐓 pleasers.

  • @night6724

    @night6724

    Жыл бұрын

    And what does reagan have to do with this?

  • @BuddyL
    @BuddyL Жыл бұрын

    Workers should *never* be called "lucky just to have a job"; it's the *bosses* who should consider themselves lucky to have people work with them. "You have nothing to lose but your chains." ✊🏿

  • @rezakarampour6286

    @rezakarampour6286

    Жыл бұрын

    ' The End of American Empire Is Here .'

  • @welcometotheinternet574

    @welcometotheinternet574

    Жыл бұрын

    @@rezakarampour6286 What?

  • @rezakarampour6286

    @rezakarampour6286

    Жыл бұрын

    @@welcometotheinternet574 Search : ' Solving 9-11 By Christopher Bollyn '

  • @welcometotheinternet574

    @welcometotheinternet574

    Жыл бұрын

    @@rezakarampour6286 Can’t really find it. But when you say the end of the American Empire do you mean as in nowadays rhe American workforce is unable to afford half the goods they could in the 50’s or you mean as in China is overtakijg some of the intenrational place the American Industry once took?

  • @tecpaocelotl
    @tecpaocelotl Жыл бұрын

    My mom and my grandpa were in unions. It's interesting how it's slowly gaining.

  • @night6724

    @night6724

    Жыл бұрын

    Explain the merits of unions

  • @tecpaocelotl

    @tecpaocelotl

    Жыл бұрын

    @@night6724 a big important one that this video missed is back when they joined, people of color were paid less than white people for doing the same job. Unions help semi fix that issue. My grandpa bought a house which he couldn't afford with the wages before joining.

  • @night6724

    @night6724

    Жыл бұрын

    @@tecpaocelotl what? Unions excluded black people and ensured only whites would get. Unions were insanely racist and lead to millions of blacks to be left behind in poverty. And i doubt your grandpa bought a house with union wages given how pricey unions fees are. why do you act like unions are charity?

  • @TimothyCHenderson

    @TimothyCHenderson

    Жыл бұрын

    @@night6724 After 40 years of Neo-conservative economic policy, wage stagnation, a significant and still growing productivity to wage growth gap and of course CEO's making on average 300x's the average employee's rate compared to 20x's in the 60's, unions may be the solution. You may be someone who believes the status quo is the right course of action, in which case good for you for committing. Otherwise, if you want change then the burden of proof to explain an alternative should be on you.

  • @night6724

    @night6724

    Жыл бұрын

    @@TimothyCHenderson okay a few things to break down - Wage stagnation - it isn’t happening. Wages have consistently gone up. Inflation had been an issue but that irrespective of wages. The fact is when you raise wages the prices for good also increases. - productivity - that is attributed to automation as in general the average American works for less hours than in the 1950s and 60s - CEO pay - why is this relevant? And again it’s all in the matter of recording. While net worth ceos earned technically less back then that’s becuase non liquidated assets weren’t included whereas they are now. Elon musk may be worth 200 billion dollars but most of that is in stocks of his companies not actual money. This is also ignoring how rich people bought off politicians to ensure large tax breaks for themselves and their friends. There was far more inequality back then than now So no unions do nothing good

  • @Native722
    @Native72210 ай бұрын

    We need more unions! Call centers

  • @isaacmartinez6904
    @isaacmartinez6904 Жыл бұрын

    The only times I heard about unions were the Amazon Staten Island union and Ronald Reagan firing the union strikers.

  • @loturzelrestaurant

    @loturzelrestaurant

    Жыл бұрын

    IF YOURE INTERESTED: The Best Worker-Struggle and Union Coverage was and still is the Videos of 'Some More News' and 'Second Thought'.

  • @night6724

    @night6724

    Жыл бұрын

    Reagan didn’t fire union strikers he disbanded one public sector union that was breaking the law and holding the country hostage during the holidays

  • @kermitfrog593

    @kermitfrog593

    Жыл бұрын

    Jesus was pro union.

  • @Lavabug

    @Lavabug

    Жыл бұрын

    @@kermitfrog593 no, he was pro slavery

  • @jerlinej3516
    @jerlinej3516 Жыл бұрын

    From my brief experience in hospitality it seems that working in a unionized hotel is HIGHLY desired and when anyone admits that they work in a non-unionized hotel there are always sighs of pity lol. All I know is that they can pay up to $20 more than a non-unionized hotel. Exactly how this works I have no idea but this alone makes the word "union" way more attractive.

  • @rkontna

    @rkontna

    Жыл бұрын

    Think of yourself as what's being sold, your labor, the higher ups have an idea of what value you bring. Unions will fight to make sure your paid closer to what the higher ups think so that the higher ups just don't end up with extra cash by ripping you off. It's easier when you think about a trade. So I'm an electrician in a Union I worked non-union in my boss would get paid $160 an hour for me to go to that job for an hour. I got $25 dollars an hour. Everything else was his profit. I'm in a union now and I make $53 an hour, the employer also has to pay for my retirement fund and healthcare so it's really closer to 100 an hour. See now my boss makes $60 to do nothing vs non union my boss made $135 to do nothing so I'm getting my fair share to the actual value I provide for my company

  • @kaitlyn__L

    @kaitlyn__L

    Жыл бұрын

    @@rkontna this is a fantastic example with concrete numbers, demonstrating exactly what people mean by various political jargon. Bravo!

  • @cinaminlee
    @cinaminlee Жыл бұрын

    What ever happened to those great labor struggle movies like "NORMA RAE" ? My anti-union relative couldn't believe it when I said, the United States was founded on the notion of our collective rights to Unionize and how they made life better; "We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."

  • @loturzelrestaurant
    @loturzelrestaurant Жыл бұрын

    IF YOURE INTERESTED: The Best Worker-Struggle and Union Coverage was and still is the Videos of 'Some More News' and 'Second Thought'.

  • @howieisbored

    @howieisbored

    Жыл бұрын

    also check out "More Perfect Union" for more on the ground reporting.

  • @loturzelrestaurant

    @loturzelrestaurant

    Жыл бұрын

    @@howieisbored Ok!

  • @RohanDhruva
    @RohanDhruva Жыл бұрын

    In addition to the content, this is one of the best produced/edited videos on this channel! I *loved* the "personal touches" showing the editing process, the zoom goofup, etc. Keep it up, looking forward to more like this!

  • @OfficialDanielSilvas
    @OfficialDanielSilvas Жыл бұрын

    In the USA, specifically California, in construction industry, a lot of Union construction companies, lose contracts and jobs, to construction companies that are “Out of state” “Non-Union” companies. So it’s always hard to find work as a “Union Member” and it’s easier to find work as a “Non-Union Member”

  • @baseballchamp179
    @baseballchamp179 Жыл бұрын

    Im loving the “bold and brash” paintings behind Cameron 😎👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻

  • @LeBonkJordan

    @LeBonkJordan

    Жыл бұрын

    MORE LIKE, "BELONGS IN THE TRASH"

  • @Ninjaeule97
    @Ninjaeule97 Жыл бұрын

    In Germany it's illegal for a employer to prevent the formation of a union or a workers committee. Of course that doesn't prevent companies from trying to do so anyway, but at least you have to option of legal recourse.

  • @Ninjaeule97

    @Ninjaeule97

    Жыл бұрын

    @Samuel Dogara?

  • @danielsander9997
    @danielsander9997 Жыл бұрын

    There needs to be more unions for fast food workers

  • @chefwel1

    @chefwel1

    Жыл бұрын

    Good luck with that. I work in food, at a university. They union where I work has lead to constant call-outs, other union staff hating their jobs because everyday is a struggle. There are days when all the staff don't show up, and nothing happens. All... Or when someone takes 3hours to cut 20 peppers and when the manager says hurry up, the union says you can't tell them to hurry up.

  • @macgobhann8712

    @macgobhann8712

    Жыл бұрын

    @@chefwel1 Yeah that isn't real.

  • @night6724

    @night6724

    Жыл бұрын

    What are the merits for unions?

  • @chefwel1

    @chefwel1

    Жыл бұрын

    @@macgobhann8712 it's very real my friend. Maybe it depends on the workplace, but in my experience, the longer the union stays in a company, the more power they have. the more they abuse the power they have and the more their members abuse the systems and each other. They can be good, they can also be bad. That's all I'm saying.

  • @a.barker7792
    @a.barker7792 Жыл бұрын

    Unions need to sign up hospitals labor force. Nurses need protection.

  • @MikePerf0
    @MikePerf0 Жыл бұрын

    We have to be careful with international union stats. Laws are different in Europe. In Canada, union are mandatory in public services such as Health. This aspect have a huge influence on union data. Thank you

  • @Discoursivist
    @Discoursivist Жыл бұрын

    I'm just stunned that they never mentioned the Taft-Hartley Act of 1947. That bill is the clearest and most significant cause of the union decline.

  • @BombOmbBuddy
    @BombOmbBuddy Жыл бұрын

    Love this style of video! Hope more questions come in to make this format work!

  • @curious-relics
    @curious-relics Жыл бұрын

    In case you're an office/knowledge worker: yes, you need a union too. If you are any sort of an employee, you need a union. You are not special and you are not indispensable just because you can code or do some engineering - in the end, you are still a worker and you will be exploited as much as the workers at Amazon or Starbucks.

  • @lorissupportguides

    @lorissupportguides

    Жыл бұрын

    No software developers don't. A union is there so you can create the threat of leaving. 1 guy is replaceable 10000 aren't. Software developers can leave get paid more and is not easily replaceable

  • @curious-relics

    @curious-relics

    Жыл бұрын

    ​@@lorissupportguides Oh they are quite replaceable, utilizing offshoring and the h1b visa program. And just because you can get a new job easily does not mean you wont be exploited.

  • @night6724

    @night6724

    Жыл бұрын

    Oh please your don’t know what exploitation is. Unions are the ones that exploit the people

  • @night6724

    @night6724

    Жыл бұрын

    @@curious-relics unions are a money laundering scheme

  • @Silk_WD

    @Silk_WD

    Жыл бұрын

    I'm a software engineer in a union. There are many benefits, but the main part for me is that a big part of swedish workplace conditions are not set by politicians. Instead they are a result of negotiations between employer organisations and the unions. This includes wages (Sweden have no minimum wage law). This setup is only possible with strong unions.

  • @that_brando_
    @that_brando_ Жыл бұрын

    Thanks for making this video! As an organizer in Canada I think we still need to increase our private sector unionization rates.

  • @night6724

    @night6724

    Жыл бұрын

    What merits are there to unions?

  • @RemyISnow

    @RemyISnow

    Жыл бұрын

    I pay $64/month in dues, and can barely afford to fill up my gas tank. Please enlighten me why I am paying this much for a 2% raise a year.

  • @sunlynnhatchett3983
    @sunlynnhatchett3983 Жыл бұрын

    Unions started in the age of monopolies, makes sense that they're returning with these monopolies.

  • @night6724

    @night6724

    Жыл бұрын

    No they didn’t. And unions are literal monopolies

  • @sunlynnhatchett3983

    @sunlynnhatchett3983

    Жыл бұрын

    @@night6724 How are unions monopolies, they defend workers' rights from monopolies. Also, I can't help but notice that monopolies in the 1800's tried to outlaw unions and strikes, meaning unions and strikes existed then.

  • @night6724

    @night6724

    Жыл бұрын

    @@sunlynnhatchett3983 The vast majority of major unions are monopolies by their nature. And no companies ever tried to outlaw unions. Companies loved unions then because they could be corrupted and bought off

  • @night6724

    @night6724

    Жыл бұрын

    @@sunlynnhatchett3983 think of it like this. What do you call an institution that exclusively controls a highly sought after thing that can easily be priced at any arbitrary price since they are the sole holder of it? Also if monopolies really are that dangerous to consumers how exactly do de facto monopolies like soda stay low cost? Like let’s be real coke stands head and shoulders above all other competition and yet coke is insanely cheap

  • @sunlynnhatchett3983

    @sunlynnhatchett3983

    Жыл бұрын

    @@night6724 Your first point is highly arguable, but I will not say it is without reason. Your second point though, has quite clear faults. There are laws against these competitive pricing regulations, as there are laws against monopolistic. However, the United States, where many of these businesses are based in, is a country of the elites. It is a mistake to call it a democracy, in can be easily seen that the interests of business may outweigh the interests of the masses in congress, especially when a large portion of the American congress has fortunes which they can protect through the law. The biggest flaw in your second point though, is that your logic in defense of modern monopolies and in offense of modern workers' unions has just about nothing to do with the incorrect point you first noted in this comment-thread, that unions were nonexistant during the days of Standard Oil or Union Pacific.

  • @greghuffman3061
    @greghuffman3061 Жыл бұрын

    It brings a tear to my eye every time i see a union in modern society. Whenever i drive by road construction, and see 2 other guys watching 1 guy work, i say god bless america and salute that man. And since he isnt in any rush to finish his job, he salutes me back then goes on break.

  • @jrbqto
    @jrbqto Жыл бұрын

    I've been apart of a union for almost all of my working life. There has been moments, some that were very significant where I was very upset with my union, so much so that I contemplated on revoking my dues. Even tho I felt like that, I wouldn't pull my dues and I stand with my union. Because I know my wages and benefits wouldn't be nearly as good as it is without them. You hear a lot of bad things about unions, and some of it might be true but the pros will almost always outweigh the cons. Solidarity Brothers and Sisters!

  • @pyrotechnic96
    @pyrotechnic96 Жыл бұрын

    "The share of workers who belong to a labor union, like I do..." Big shoutout to Jon Bois.

  • @ryerye9019
    @ryerye9019 Жыл бұрын

    In the American two party system, one party is aggressively anti-union and the other party is neutral (saying nice things while doing nothing). Economic power translates into economic power in the US, so the working class is trapped in a state of powerlessness. Thomas Frank, a populist historian, charts the political decline of working class in the US as essentially classism and an abandonment by the American intellectuals and white collar professionals. When the upper middle class joins a working class party, they reorient the party towards their own self interest with the result being: falling minimum wages, astronomical prices for healthcare, legal services, and higher education, lack of support for trades jobs, financialization of the economy, and onerous regulations, credentialism, and barriers entry into the market. Corporations and political parties are essentially upper class unions and the only game in town.

  • @GTAVictor9128

    @GTAVictor9128

    Жыл бұрын

    And by extension, one party is far-right while the other is centrist (arguably centre-right), which when combined with the instilled fear of socialism, explains why the US has basically no social safety nets compared to other countries.

  • @night6724

    @night6724

    Жыл бұрын

    What are the benefits to unions exactly?

  • @night6724

    @night6724

    Жыл бұрын

    Unions are corrupt money laundering schemes

  • @lxix_lxix
    @lxix_lxix Жыл бұрын

    I haven't watched all the way through but i just wanted to say, Cameron: your taste in art is spectacular. I see you have not one but TWO paintings of Bold and Brash. Truly a person who admires the greats....

  • @garoria4161
    @garoria4161 Жыл бұрын

    Dear Vox Team, again a very high quality produced video. And for free, thank you. The scene changes between the real interview scenes and the animations create a drive that makes you stay tuned. All the work the editor did was worth it.

  • @TexasRiverRat31254
    @TexasRiverRat31254 Жыл бұрын

    I'm a retired union pipefitter/welder that spent a third of my years in the non union sector before joining. If I hadn't I'd most likely still be struggling to put my work boots at 68 on and hobble to work as the non union contractors make sure you have a "break in service" so you never get the minimum time it takes IF they offer a pension at all. I have two and without them I'd never come close to paying living expenses on social security alone. It's not perfect and it's no different than the other side in that too often it's not what you know but who you B*OW. But it was worth it. "Good old boys" rule everywhere.

  • @post-leftluddite
    @post-leftluddite Жыл бұрын

    Trade Unionism needs to end in favor of mass unionization, the idea of a single union across many trades that can unify workers from different industries, and all in service of working toward a mass, general strike. For example, could you imagine if sanitation workers and hospital workers alone could call a general strike on a national level, let alone one that also involved transit workers in private business and public services? It would bring daily life to a standstill in days, if not sooner, and the power dynamics would be altered forever

  • @ansar714

    @ansar714

    Жыл бұрын

    There is no one single trade union.There are many and they all have different collective bargaining agreements.

  • @forzainter72

    @forzainter72

    Жыл бұрын

    a work around for that in the short term in the hostile capitalist institutional environment we live in is having unions coordinate to have their contracts expire at the same time to enhance their structural bargaining position. UNITE HERE did that with the nationwide Marriott strikes in 2018. Would be effective down supply chains in different industries, say for example truck workers, longshore workers, warehouse workers and supermarket workers all threatening strike action at the same time.

  • @ericwright8592
    @ericwright8592 Жыл бұрын

    Companies even push anti-union rhetoric into the hiring process. When I was a teenager I interviewed for a job at Lowes home improvement and during the interview they had a Question & Answer section on a computer related to unionizing. They didn't outright say "unions are illegal" they definitely made it seem that way and made it clear that any speak of organization or discussion of pay/benefits with other employees was strictly forbidden.

  • @myronmason8170

    @myronmason8170

    Жыл бұрын

    Having this during the interview/hiring process is illegal. You have a right to discuss pay and benefits with your co-workers and the right to start a union!

  • @night6724

    @night6724

    Жыл бұрын

    What are the merits of unions?

  • @thetohoapologist4240

    @thetohoapologist4240

    Жыл бұрын

    @@night6724 one employee is much less powerful than hundreds of thousands of unionized workers

  • @nathanngumi8467
    @nathanngumi8467 Жыл бұрын

    Very interesting history! This format is also great, where a subscriber asks a question and you answer it!

  • @JaffeCakeINC
    @JaffeCakeINC Жыл бұрын

    It is also important to recognize that the US Treasury under Volcker in the '80s purposefully caused an unemployment crises by radically increasing interest rates, which lead to more layoffs, to push down the bargaining power of unions. It's known as the "Volcker Shock". It also caused economic crises in Latin America as Latin American governments found themselves unable to pay off their debts due to the higher interest rates. It was a deliberate effort by the Treasury to curb inflation by forcing unions to accept concessions in terms of wages, benefits, factory locations, etc. That being said, you can probably trace some of the initial declines of unionism back to the 40s and 50s. The Taft-Hartley Act (which limited forms of union direct action), Red Scare (which reduced the radicalism of unions and made them more complacent), and the Treaty of Detroit (which delinated that unions must negoiate at a company-wide level and that striking must be authorized by the union head lead to the centralization of power within the union and reduced local rank-and-file millitancy) are some of the primary reasons behind the defanging of unions.

  • @Zestric
    @Zestric Жыл бұрын

    Why do unions in the US have to be "created" by the workers in every single store/factory/whatever when in every other country I know of it's just one (or sometimes two or three) union that represents an entire business sector regardless of what company you work for? Like say you are a metalworker at steel plates inc. you wouldn't have to create the steel plates inc. workers union you would just join the countries metalworkers union. Did the US have that before or was it always this fragmented?

  • @myronmason8170

    @myronmason8170

    Жыл бұрын

    There were/are unions that represent many industries and have local chapters, but not all professions have this and thus a new union must be created. Also, even if one exists, workers at a business still have to create local union that then must join the bigger unions. We need to support the idea that the IWW has and make "One Big Union" that represents all workers no matter their profession.

  • @danielkelly2210

    @danielkelly2210

    Жыл бұрын

    The US never had a situation like, say, Germany, where an entire industry is covered by a union. Taking the steelworkers' union as an example, if every steel plant in an area is unionized but a company came in and opened a new one, the new plant is not automatically covered as a union operation. The workers there have to hold an election and have their union recognized.

  • @danpeterson5054
    @danpeterson5054 Жыл бұрын

    I love this question and answer format!

  • @swedishgrizzly6506
    @swedishgrizzly6506 Жыл бұрын

    Fun fact in Sweden instead of having a minimum wage Facket (The unions) chose the wages

  • @kullingen6909

    @kullingen6909

    Жыл бұрын

    Similar to Norway.

  • @Nomen_Nescio_YT

    @Nomen_Nescio_YT

    Жыл бұрын

    @@kullingen6909 also in Italy with its "national contracts"

  • @victor_venema

    @victor_venema

    Жыл бұрын

    It used to be this way in Germany, but unions are no longer strong enough and there is now a federal minimum wage.

  • @Thebreakdownshow1
    @Thebreakdownshow1 Жыл бұрын

    It is absolutely necessary as a society unionized against the 1%. Especially for the people who work on low paying jobs

  • @khalilahd.

    @khalilahd.

    Жыл бұрын

    Exactly

  • @madat5843

    @madat5843

    Жыл бұрын

    Dude just subscribed keep it up.

  • @legolaschelsea

    @legolaschelsea

    Жыл бұрын

    And then 1% hire some bunch of techies and software engineers and now all these low grade jobs are now automated. Good luck with that.

  • @night6724

    @night6724

    Жыл бұрын

    What are the merits of unions?

  • @RaveYoda

    @RaveYoda

    Жыл бұрын

    @@night6724 Generally better pay and bargaining power. As is, employees have little power and even less legal options given arbitration contracts, etc.

  • @napoleonibonaparte7198
    @napoleonibonaparte7198 Жыл бұрын

    In the Nordics and Germany, it is a must to have a union, I believe.

  • @victor_venema

    @victor_venema

    Жыл бұрын

    Not in Germany.

  • @jan-lukas

    @jan-lukas

    Жыл бұрын

    You have to give the option here in Germany, but small businesses won't have one for example

  • @victorfisker5246

    @victorfisker5246

    Жыл бұрын

    Not in scandinavia neither...

  • @TheLobstah
    @TheLobstah Жыл бұрын

    What about Right-to-Work Laws and how they undermine unions?

  • @KevinContreras2013
    @KevinContreras2013 Жыл бұрын

    I gotta say, I super love the editing for this video!

  • @mxmissy
    @mxmissy Жыл бұрын

    Unions are so huge here in Australia. And whenever I hear stories about unions and how scared CEOs are of unions and anything related, I'm just so... shocked almost. Like, why?

  • @night6724

    @night6724

    Жыл бұрын

    Because Australian unions are a money laundering scheme.

  • @gesudinazaret9259

    @gesudinazaret9259

    Жыл бұрын

    Loosing profits

  • @kaitlyn__L

    @kaitlyn__L

    Жыл бұрын

    @@gesudinazaret9259 exactly. Convince people unions are bad for them and then you can make more profits and reinvest less in the company. Win win for every shareholder and board member.

  • @CaribouColleen
    @CaribouColleen Жыл бұрын

    I was part of an effort to try and unionize a national non profit last year. This non profit was founded by a billionaire with a very famous brother. In response the organization restructured, stopped all in person services, and eliminated the positions for people who were unionizing. It was a huge betrayal to the people we served and very disappointing. The NLRB ruled this was illegal but the case is still open.

  • @night6724

    @night6724

    Жыл бұрын

    Great likes for being a cancer of society by supporting corrupt mafias

  • @carolyn3172

    @carolyn3172

    10 ай бұрын

    Yes, unions cost companies a lot of money,. Yes, companies should be paying a fair wage, but a fair wage isn't always a high wage. Unions often unfairly force companies to pay ridiculous wages to unskilled labour, driving up costs and discouraging hiring. Yet companies are vilified for being anti-union.

  • @Tutel0093
    @Tutel0093 Жыл бұрын

    Ah yes, Americans frozen in fear of socialism

  • @WillyWally40

    @WillyWally40

    Жыл бұрын

    Socialism is pretty scary

  • @franvutmej5974

    @franvutmej5974

    Жыл бұрын

    and you are from?

  • @Tutel0093

    @Tutel0093

    Жыл бұрын

    @@franvutmej5974 first world country

  • @bigshotaviation8570

    @bigshotaviation8570

    Жыл бұрын

    @@Tutel0093 america is a first world country stop with this nonsense

  • @Tutel0093

    @Tutel0093

    Жыл бұрын

    @@bigshotaviation8570 sure why not If that helps you sleep at night

  • @IanZainea1990
    @IanZainea1990 Жыл бұрын

    Great overview for sure. Glad to see this!

  • @Valery0p5
    @Valery0p5 Жыл бұрын

    "sindacati" are everywhere in Italy (and "strikes" are even too common and institutionalized) so it's always weird to see how other countries' workers don't always have the same rights...

  • @NotKimiRaikkonen
    @NotKimiRaikkonen Жыл бұрын

    Good! They served their purpose. Today they no longer justify their cost and bureaucracy.

  • @theinternetbutler

    @theinternetbutler

    Жыл бұрын

    You must be a business owner or manager.

  • @memetrashcan9613
    @memetrashcan9613 Жыл бұрын

    People have had enough with late stage capitalism.

  • @robertcuyjet
    @robertcuyjet Жыл бұрын

    I really liked this video and its style! Thanks for another great informative video Vox!

  • @pluribus_unum
    @pluribus_unum Жыл бұрын

    Reagan and Republicans played the major role in smashing the unions over 60 years. "But Republican politicians and the libertarian-dominated conservative intelligentsia for the most part oppose the very existence of organized labor. Even though Trump won the electoral college in 2016 thanks largely to unionized workers in the industrial Midwest, the 2016 Republican platform declared: “We support the right of states to enact Right-to-Work laws and call for a national law to protect the economic liberty of the modern workforce.”" If you support unions, there is only one major party that has your back; the Democrats.

  • @hvnspwn
    @hvnspwn Жыл бұрын

    This video is so cool. I've never been part of a union. I wish I were. I learned a lot and I'm grateful.

  • @night6724

    @night6724

    Жыл бұрын

    And what are the merits of a union?

  • @cyberrasputen1718
    @cyberrasputen1718 Жыл бұрын

    Here’s the problem. Large companies like the Macys Fulfillment Centers, and even ship yards like General Dynamic Electric make a concerted effort to scare workers from joining unions. At Macy’s Fulfillment Center, about 50 of us new hires in the room watched an orientation video where they were telling us how unions are against our best interest and said that they were bad. Also, I was an at interview with General Dynamic Electric Boat which makes submarines and they told me that I would be hired on as a Level III technician, but if I joined a union, I would be a Level II technician and I would not be allowed to move to a different department if I joined the union. These companies are definitely trying to scare workers off and make them think that unions are the bad guys who want to control everything you do and keep you from making money. If this isn’t illegal then it should be. But there is a reason less people are interested in unions. They are not educated on it and they’re hearing from companies that you will be isolated and punished for joining them basically. That is the feeling that I walked away with at both of these places. But it did feel very wrong at the time and I could tell that they were trying to manipulate me. I did not accept either job because of that. A company has to be shady to prevent you from joining a union which may be the only thing serving your best interest. I have heard a lot from Macy’s factory workers about the pressure and bad conditions their workers are pushed to complete in a very short time frame. You’re also never allowed to be sick or have emergencies. If you’re injured they will also try everything in their power to keep you from going to a real doctor. They have their own nurses and I was told by one nurse that it was her job to keep you in the infirmary and get you back to work unless there is absolutely no other option. One worker was sat inside the infirmary there and was left alone for 6 hours after injuring their spine by having a packing fall on top of them, which he tried to catch. Companies are racking up billions and need to be held accountable. But workers need to be educated about unions.

  • @nnnnsaakadamanas218
    @nnnnsaakadamanas218 Жыл бұрын

    0:58 what is the song in the background reminding me of (i think it is a madonna track)

  • @somecuriosities
    @somecuriosities Жыл бұрын

    Q. How do you unionise when the system is stacked against you?

  • @rheiagreenland4714

    @rheiagreenland4714

    Жыл бұрын

    Dual power.

  • @Lavabug

    @Lavabug

    Жыл бұрын

    The secret ingredient is crime.

  • @andriod8014
    @andriod8014 Жыл бұрын

    So strange seeing them upload this when Vox media recently had problems with their union

  • @MathieuRouland
    @MathieuRouland Жыл бұрын

    the editor/motion graphic designer needs a raise !

  • @MrAnonymousRandom
    @MrAnonymousRandom Жыл бұрын

    Unions have their limitations. A lot of private sector unions do a poor job of negotiating and are not worth their keep. With public sector unions, they have more leverage as politicians have a lower tolerance for service disruptions.

  • @joey8033
    @joey8033 Жыл бұрын

    It's sad because even developing countries that we criticized have unions everywhere. I lived in Nigeria and my dad was a union leader in his work place (a federal government owned workplace), and even the government (via the workplace) sponsors their workers for union training my dad is a certified union leader with legal rights to bear the title "comrade" (I'm serious lol) everyone was in the unions, even unions form unions, his workplace union even formed a nation wide union of federal government workers in engineering and still formed another for senior government officials (nationwide, state wide, region wide), even dry cleaners have a union and I mean citywide unions, academic staffs and employees have nationwide unions infact there's a nationwide government university strike on going (for months now) demanding that the government increases their wages, america is supposed to be a "democratic" and "developed" country right? Why is it so scared of unions? I'm confused

  • @Thebreakdownshow1

    @Thebreakdownshow1

    Жыл бұрын

    I had a simlar growing up in INDIA I was recently doing some research for my channel on this subject. Never ended up making the video but, the main reason is capitalism and how it ties into lobbying. A lot of these companies sponsor politicians and in return, the politicians over time pushed back on unionization. All of this is done to ensure the workers don't have as much power as they would if they were unionized.

  • @joey8033

    @joey8033

    Жыл бұрын

    @@Thebreakdownshow1 exactly, you are right, I once watched a video about how much likely a law is to be pass if the people wanted it and it was a bare 30% in the US, lobbying needs to be made illegal before america can prosper

  • @kaitlyn__L

    @kaitlyn__L

    Жыл бұрын

    The USA was founded on a fundamental contradiction, which you have correctly identified an example of at the end of your comment! The articles of confederation had workplace democracy and township democracy etc, and lots of people liked it, but the wealthy landowners (the founding fathers) didn’t like it and replaced it with the current system. Even though their rhetoric didn’t change. Despite its highly fractal federal structures, the USA has some of the least diffuse power across its populace, because the only democratic systems which are allowed are the ones which are encumbered by veto and delay opportunities. Direct participatory democracy like unions are frowned-upon as being too radical and disruptive, and lots of employers tell their employees they’ll actually be worse off in a union than out of one. Now that’s often true, but what they don’t tell them is it’s only true because they fire anyone trying to unionise (as discussed in this video, ostensibly for a different reason, but substantively due to unionising efforts). Now, that sounds an awful lot like suppressing democracy to ensure the wealthy and powerful aren’t challenged, which in any other country would be talked about terribly by Americans. But everyone who grew up immersed in it is just like “oh yeah, you don’t want the average guy to get too powerful!” (Accidentally posted as a reply instead of just a comment on your comment the first time.)

  • @joey8033

    @joey8033

    Жыл бұрын

    @@kaitlyn__L thank you for your comment. You're right about the part where people who grew up in the society, I noticed it alot about americans there's alot about "how life should be" they don't know. From healthcare to personal finance. And I think that's the way forward, educating americans on how it could be better and how it's wrong. Again, thanks for your comment

  • @azzureone78
    @azzureone78 Жыл бұрын

    Always been union, always will be.

  • @danielfarrellmusic
    @danielfarrellmusic Жыл бұрын

    I love your videos but can you please do audio work with the guest segments. they're always at a drastically different volume level than the narration. I love the professional visual presentation on these, but the audio is always so lacking. (totally open to helping you all)

  • @erandro
    @erandro Жыл бұрын

    Not related to the content, but the editing of this video is really good.

  • @eveeehr
    @eveeehr Жыл бұрын

    Fun fact - the reason why Australia has the highest minimum pay is due to strong union membership (although it is declining), and that our Australian Labor Party (currently in government after a decade) is funded mostly by unions. Since the election in May, our minimum wage has already increased. Join your union!

  • @ericosagie3046

    @ericosagie3046

    Жыл бұрын

    Same case in Sweden. High unionization is good for all countries

  • @PHlophe

    @PHlophe

    Жыл бұрын

    Evie, but this ain't about OZ though.

  • @fresnobiggledrum537

    @fresnobiggledrum537

    Жыл бұрын

    @@PHlophe One of the questions offered in the video was what union density looked like in other countries, to compare to the US.

  • @Coolsomeone234

    @Coolsomeone234

    Жыл бұрын

    Labor isn't exactly funded solely by the Unions anymore

  • @night6724

    @night6724

    Жыл бұрын

    Australia is a dictatorship

  • @hbt5427
    @hbt5427 Жыл бұрын

    We need A LOT more Unions!!!

  • @steffo4296

    @steffo4296

    Жыл бұрын

    No

  • @rheiagreenland4714

    @rheiagreenland4714

    Жыл бұрын

    @@steffo4296 Yes.

  • @KiheiVillages
    @KiheiVillages Жыл бұрын

    impressive research. Research means to search again. You certainly searched over and over! To the nth degree. Bravo!

  • @ddukes94
    @ddukes94 Жыл бұрын

    As a Unionized worker it makes me glad to see Americans are starting to get better organized.

  • @Josiahpapayas
    @Josiahpapayas Жыл бұрын

    We need to bring these back and protesting lol 😂

  • @night6724

    @night6724

    Жыл бұрын

    Why? Name me the merits of unions

  • @Lavabug

    @Lavabug

    Жыл бұрын

    @@night6724 Is Ronald Reagan's estate paying you to be such a massive bootlicker in these comments?

  • @mat9739

    @mat9739

    Жыл бұрын

    @@night6724 My 5$/h more than similar no-union job

  • @mat9739

    @mat9739

    Жыл бұрын

    @@night6724 I Work in a Grocerie store, most no-union Grocerie store is minimum wage (maybe less now whit the labour shortage) I pay 24 (Canadian) dollars every 2 weeks.

  • @mat9739

    @mat9739

    Жыл бұрын

    @@night6724 No 5$/h for a 40h weeks is 200$ for 2 weeks is 400$ minus the 24$ union fees And where I work many personnes had been there fore decade. Maybe 40% of worker where I work Depend on the law, I thinks union is not really god for small company

  • @BriefNerdOriginal
    @BriefNerdOriginal Жыл бұрын

    In Switzerland, the first days of my work as a federal employee, I was prompted with the possibility of joining a union, which I did. It's normal in Europe, I argue, and workers protection is a civil right. It's sad seeing how the self-proclaimed defensor of democracy, the USA, struggles with such basic notions and rules.

  • @mil620
    @mil620 Жыл бұрын

    Cameron is definitely talking about Amazon @6:30

  • @dexterosity
    @dexterosity8 ай бұрын

    I love how Vox can present anything so complex so beautifully. This is awesome.

  • @simplelogic9090

    @simplelogic9090

    7 ай бұрын

    It's very easy to do so when you leave out literally 20 minutes of context.

  • @PremierCCGuyMMXVI
    @PremierCCGuyMMXVI Жыл бұрын

    I like how people claim the US is the best nation on Earth yet the most basic rights that are active in other developed countries isn’t present in the United States. We have a lot of work to do to make America better

  • @bumblebee582
    @bumblebee582 Жыл бұрын

    More Union videos!!

  • @lz6594
    @lz65949 ай бұрын

    The man just asked a million-dollar question. I just hope more people would think about this

  • @davis3909
    @davis3909 Жыл бұрын

    yall should do the rise and fall (and possibly rise again?) of America's domestic manufacturing industry

  • @DS-bz4mz
    @DS-bz4mz Жыл бұрын

    Very interesting vid, maybe you could make it into a series for other countries too (eg. G7 countries cause obviously it's not feasible to do literally every country)?

  • @khalilahd.

    @khalilahd.

    Жыл бұрын

    Yes! That’s a great idea!

  • @oaxtec765

    @oaxtec765

    Жыл бұрын

    Or maybe like the g13, because has the big g8 economic powerhouses plus the leading developing nations

  • @DS-bz4mz

    @DS-bz4mz

    Жыл бұрын

    @Aka Aka Obviously I'd love to learn something about every country, but a) it's not feasible and b) VOX is a company so they also need to take into account whether a video generates clicks - and unfortunately Ivory Coast or Myanmar don't generate anywhere close to let's say Japan or Germany. If their accountants and researchers decide to do more countries, more power to them

  • @DS-bz4mz

    @DS-bz4mz

    Жыл бұрын

    @Aka Aka When did I say anything excluding them? Can't you read?

  • @BuzzB613
    @BuzzB613 Жыл бұрын

    Teamsters Quebec member

  • @UmbralMxx
    @UmbralMxx Жыл бұрын

    Joss Fong never fails to deliver amazing videos 👌👌

  • @HaldaneSmith
    @HaldaneSmith Жыл бұрын

    Unionization hit its peak in the U.S. in 1953 at 33%. The graph in this video shows unionization at 27% in 1961 so unions actually shrunk more in the 50s (0.75% per year) than the sharp drop from 1967 to 1986 (0.65% per year). I think the Taft-Hartley act from the late 1940s drove this. It allowed states to become "right-to-work" states meaning workers didn't have to pay union dues to get union pay benfits so people didn't join unions. Southern states became "right-to-work" states and manufacturing started to gradually relocate from the Great Lakes rust-belt region to the South. The population of Detroit, for example, fell from 2 million in 1960 to 600,000 today, and large declines occurred in Milwaukee, St. Louis, Pittsburg, Cleveland, etc. This not only lowered workers' wages, but turned these states into rural, Republican states. Some of them are now "right-to-work" states. Taft-Hartley also weakened the labor movement by banning sympathy strikes and industry wide strikes. This meant the only successful unions have been in industries that have large workplaces where a plant strike can hurt a company's profts, like in manufacturing. These are the only places where unions have much leverage. Collective bargaining wasn't legalized until 1937 and union membership soon surged. Wages went up around 50% for the working class in the next 4 years and doubled by 1947. They doubled again by 1967 hitting a peak. Health care coverage was around 75% in 1970, half of all workers had defined benefit pensions and vacations were reasonable. For the working class, conditions worsened starting in the 70s. Wages declined 20% for working class men, health care coverage declined to less than 50%, the marriage rate fell from 76% to 46%, and pensions changed from defined benefit to 401Ks which pretty much help only college graduates (half of workers have never gotten private pensions). Work hours increased while falling sharply in other rich countries. All this stagnation and decline happened while per capita income for the overall economy doubled. Joss Fong makes great videos, but I think her sources let ger down on this one. I think the topic deserves a do over.