1. Why Unions Matter – Now More Than Ever
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Elaine Bernard, PhD
Labor and Worklife Program & The Trade Union Program,
Harvard Law School©
Washington State Council of Fire Fighters
Wenatchee Convention Center, WA
Tuesday, April 22, 2014

2. Elaine Bernard
Executive Director, Labor & Worklife Program & Harvard Trade Union Program, Harvard Law School
Work with a variety of unions – in the U.S., Canada, Australia and U.K. - on developing skills & educational programs for union leadership
Teach in fields of international comparative labor movements, leadership & organizational change and strategic planning

4. International (OECD) Trend Line
Widespread decline in union density in most countries (though not necessarily in Collective Bargaining coverage)
Most sever decline in union representation primarily in the private sector
Growing gap between union density in public sector vs private sector

5. Union Density CB Coverage Austria 35 Belgium 55 Czech Republic 22
(ETUL 2009)
Union Density
CB Coverage
Austria 35
Belgium 55
Czech Republic 22
Denmark 80
France 8
Germany
Italy 34
Japan
Korea 11
Spain 16
Sweden 78
United Kingdom 28

6. Union Density CB Coverage Austria 35 98 Belgium 55 96 Czech Republic
(ETUL 2009)
Union Density
CB Coverage
Austria 35 98
Belgium 55 96
Czech Republic 22 44
Denmark 80
France 8 93
Germany 64
Italy 34
Japan 18
Korea 11 13
Spain 16 82
Sweden 78 90
United Kingdom 28

7. Union Density CB Coverage Austria 35 98 Belgium 55 96 Czech Republic
(ETUL 2009)
Union Density
CB Coverage
Austria 35 98
Belgium 55 96
Czech Republic 22 44
Denmark 80
France 8 93
Germany 64
Italy 34
Japan 18
Korea 11 13
Spain 16 82
Sweden 78 90
United Kingdom 28

8. U.S. Union Density 1945-2013 - 11.3% % 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 1954=35%
1954=35% %
What this means is that union density – percentage of total US workforce represented by unions – has been declining steadily
Labor movement may be sleepwalking toward irrelevance
Current data
2001 – 13.5% / 9% in private sector
2002 – organized 500,000 new members – 13.3% / 8.6% in private sector
As density has declined and labor has become weaker, we have been less able to resist corporate attack, to protect and preserve what was won over many years, let alone making meaningful advances
Density matters!
1945
1949
1953
1957
1961
1965
1969
1973
1977
1981
1985
1989
1993
1997
2011

9. Changes in Public/Private Sector Union Density in U.S.
1973
2013
Private
s e c t o r
union members
7.3 million
15 million
3 million
P u b l i c
s e c t o r
union members
While private sector union members were once the strength of the labor movement, their numbers dropped from 15 million in 1973 to 8 million 30 years later.
Meanwhile, public sector union membership rose from 3 million to 7 million, so that if trends continue, it may not be long before a majority of the labor movement is public sector.
7.2 million
Private Sector Density 24%
Public Sector Density 23%
Private Sector Density 6.7%
Public Sector Density 35%
USDL

10. U.S. Union Members (by industry) 2013
47% elementary/secondary education
42% local government
25% utilities
20% transportation
13% construction
10% information industries
10% manufacturing
9% healthcare
2% accommodation
BLS USDL

11. Reasons for Decline…
Globalization – intensification of international economic & political integration (free trade race to the bottom)
Changes in organization of production and employment (privatization, technological change, contracting out, offshoring, lean production, JiT inventory systems…)
Decline of job-based/workplace focus of employment
Decline in large, concentrated workplaces
Transformation of employment relationship (decline in full time, regular, permanent employment – growth in part time, contingent, limited term, precarious employment)
Employer (including government) hostility/opposition to unions

12. Washington State Union Density (37
Washington State Union Density (37.5% decrease in density over 30 years)
Year
Members
Coverage
1983 27 32
1993 24 26
2003 20 21
2013 19

13. Declining rates of unionization… even among Fire Fighters Nationally (19% decline over 30 years)
Membership
coverage
1983
78.3
81.7
1993
74.6
76.3
2003
67.8
69.6
2013
63.4
66.5

17. War on Public Employees “from heroes to zeroes”

18. War on Public Employees “from heroes to zeroes”

19. War on Public Employees “from heroes to zeroes”

20. SCAPGOATING
PUBLIC EMPLOYEES
“Every person in every town in America will know the reason their library is closing early is that public employees have defined benefit pensions.”
-Grover Norquist

21. Assault on the very idea of Government

22. Well planned offensive…
Get unions to spend down revenues (2012 and beyond)
Permanently weaken unions
(Attack on dues collection, organizing, collective bargaining)
Get public revenue streams for private corporations (privatization)
Target - Education, Health (public safety later)
ALEC
American Legislative Exchange Council

25. Attack on Pensions Eliminate Defined Benefit Pensions
Stir “pension envy” (of public sector workers’ pensions)
Pensions a massive source of capital to be tapped
Companies & Government seek to shift long term risk (onto individual workers)
Financial industry interested in new savings programs (with hefty transaction & management costs)

26. Why Unions Matter to Members

27. Union Won Benefits… Job security Salary protection Paid holidays
Paid vacation
Sick leave
Health insurance and health benefits
Pensions and retirement benefits
Promote consistent/fair treatment
Voice in work scheduling
Recognition & premium for overtime
A say in hiring/promotion
A united voice in dealing with the employer
Impartial process for resolving complaints
Protection against unfair treatment
Role in setting and enforcing occupational health & safety standards
Collective power in standard setting
Promotion of the profession

28. What Do Unions Do? Beyond Wages & Benefits
Organization for winning rights
Vehicle for exercising rights
Schools for democracy – where workers learn they have a right to participate in decisions that affect them
Builders of a community of interest among members and with the wider community
Provide “voice” vs “exit” - providing management with valuable, knowledgeable “feed back” essential for systems improvement
Premier institution of civil society, promoting democracy in the workplace, economic and social justice and equality

29. Why Unions Matter to Management

30. How Unions Benefit Management & the Company/Firm/Service/Agency…
Aggregate employee interests
Greater commitment of employees
Promote (pride) & professionalism
Bring additional training resources
Negotiate mutually agreed upon standards (procedural justice)
Promote voice (vs “exit” & reduced turnover)
Force competition on factors other than wages (skill, innovation)
Provide an institutional memory
Form a flexible, private, system of workplace regulation (firm based grievance & dispute resolution)

31. Why Unions Matter to Society
"In democratic countries, knowledge of how to combine is the mother of all other forms of knowledge; on its progress depends that of all the others."
Alexis De Tocqueville
1831

32. Collective Bargaining – a right not a privilege
Freedom of association in the workplace means…
The right to organize (form a union/association)
The right to engage in collective bargaining (over wages & working conditions)
It’s not a privilege granted by government but a right exercised by workers

33. Louis Brandeis US Supreme Court Justice 1916-1939
“Strong, responsible unions are essential to industrial fair play. Without them, the labor bargain is wholly one sided.”

34. Unions Awaken Citizens – A vital contribution to democracy
Political role of unions (organizing and promote participation in politics)
Social goods (acquiring & assuring universality & quality)
Economic fairness (for workers in general, social security, medicare/medicaid, minimum wage)
Democracy (rights & responsibilities to participate in society)
Learning Democracy (democratic, self-governing organizations)
Develop Leadership Skills

35. Unions – folks who created the middle class

36. Unions and Shared Prosperity

37. Louis Brandeis US Supreme Court Justice 1916-1939
“We may have democracy, or we may have wealth concentration in the hands of a few, but we cannot have both.”

38. Concentrated Wealth & Corporate Power is Undermining Our Democracy

39. Unions: An “experience good”
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40. An experience good is a product or service where product characteristics, such as quality or price are difficult to observe in advance, but these characteristics can be ascertained upon consumption.
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41. As “an experience good” unions need to be experienced to appreciate their true value

42. The Challenge for Today’s Unions …
New workforce (different needs/expectations)
New members with little knowledge of labor/union history
Grew up in anti-union environment
View union as “service” or “insurance” (at best)
Did not seek out their jobs as method to become a union activist
Have not “experienced” the union as collective action (less than 5% of members ever use grievance system)

43. Unions – the myth
Members went through a hard fought organizing campaign
Members know that their most important protection is a negotiated collective agreement
Members recognize that the rights, benefits, and protections that they enjoy are because of the union
Members recognize that the union power comes from an engaged and active membership.

44. Unions – the reality
Vast majority of members did not participate in an “organizing” campaign.
They simply “discover” they are union members – as a result of the job and employer they chose.

45. 21st Century Unionism…. Unions an “experience good”
Create value (for members, fire service, community)
Economic justice & equality (fight to reverse growing inequality)
Defend the “commons” (public goods and wider public sector)
Share the “knowledge of how to combine” vital for democratic communities.

46. The Best Way to Predict the Future is to Create it