Labor Unions Decline

Organized labor is decreasing around the United States, but many economists wonder
what is causing this decrease. In 2013, the amount of unionized workers fell to a 97­year
low, at 11.3%. Since the United States wanted to see exactly how much the unions were
decreasing, they casted a vote. The vote states that if 44 workers out of around 1,300 had voted
differently, than today we would be talking about a union breakthrough instead of the decline.
Because of the dramatic change in the unions, there is many things that the unions no longer do.
This paper will seek to find the driving force behind this decrease, and why workers are choosing
to leave their labor unions.
Labor unions are formally defined as an organized association of workers, often

in a
trade or profession, formed to protect and further their rights and interests. In a 2012
study, 64% of US citizens believed in the necessity of labor unions in order to
maintain the safety and fair treatment of our country’s labor force.

As an observer
can clearly see, many of our nation’s people believe in the benefits of unionization,
so it is difficult to understand why there has been such a decrease in recent years.A few possible reasons in which the reason for the decline in labor unionism are;
Decreased power of labor unions, expansion of companies in non­unionized states, growth of 4
industries where unions have a smaller presence, increased Globalization, and last but not least,
company Hostility to unions. As for there are many reason in why labor unionism is declining,
the first I would like to address is the decreased power of labor unions. In recent years, several
laws have been passed that restrict labor unions from having the amount of influence they may
have had in the past. Because they do not have the power they once held, many workers are
choosing to leave their labor unions, if they believe that they cannot be benefited from them.
Secondly, the expansion of companies in non­unionized states has played a major role in the
decline because how is the labor unionism suppose to increase if companies are expanding to
non­unionized states? Across the country, there are many “right to work,” or

non­unionized
states. Many large companies, such as Boeing and Volkswagen, are choosing to expand in these
areas. This draws manufacturing workers away from labor unions, and into states
where there are none.
Since I have already mentioned the fact of companies expanding into non­unionized
states, that falls into my next two topics of “Growth of industries where unions have a smaller
presence” and “Increased Globalization.” In some industries, such as retail and restaurants, labor
unions are not as common as in manufacturing and government positions.

With the growth of
these sectors, the percentage of workers in industries where unionization is common is becoming
less and less. Many manufacturing companies are choosing to outsource to cheaper countries overseas. Since labor unions hold their strongest influence in manufacturing, the decrease in
factory workers leads to a smaller percentage of unionized labor force.
Lastly, the final topics that I found to cause the decline in labor unionism is “Company
Hostility to unions” and “The many things that Unions no longer do.” Several companies around
the US have organized specific campaigns that target the influence of labor unions. By
undermining the power these unions hold, many workers see no reason in the continuance of
unionization. Many economists believe that this is the primary reason for the decrease in
organized labor. But what most don’t know is all of the things that unions no longer do that are
hurting them, for example, Unions no longer equalize incomes, no longer counteract racial
inequality, no longer play a big role in assimilating immigrants, and no longer give lower­

income
Americans a political voice.
An observer can clearly see that there are many possible reasons for the recent decline in
organized labor. It is still heavily debated among economists which of these reasons is the most
probable. The only way to truly find out the cause is by giving it time, and continually observing
the state of unionization within the US. With careful observation, it will become much clearer of
the causes behind this severe economic change, but how long will it take? That’s a question that
we may never be able to answer, as Harold Meyerson once said, “The only way unions can
regain their strength and provide a counterweight to corporate power is if liberals join the fight”
(The American).