Since peaking at roughly 35% of the workforce in the 1950s, union membership has steadily declined, and in 2017 it stood at just 10.7%, with a mere 6.5% membership rate in the private sector. Reversing this trend has been a longstanding priority for organized labor, but despite numerous efforts over the years the slide in membership has continued. An increasingly frustrated union movement has now launched its latest attempt, which involves a dramatic rewrite of the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) and other statutes. The crux of this endeavor is two pieces of legislation: the Workplace Democracy Act (S. 2810 and H.R. 5728, 115th Congress), introduced by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Rep. Mark Pocan (D-WI) and the Workers’ Freedom to Negotiate Act (S. 3064 and H.R. 6080, 115th Congress), introduced by Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) and Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA)...
Going for Broke: Labor’s Legislative Wish List
Since peaking at roughly 35% of the workforce in the 1950s, union membership has steadily declined, and in 2017 it stood at just 10.7%, with a mere 6.5% membership rate in the private sector...
