Labor
From Faster Than 20
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Collaborate is about co-labor — working together. Understanding the nature of work is an important part of understanding collaboration. Work is also central to all of our lives, and as such, the nature of work and of workers is critically important to society’s well-being.
History of Labor in the U.S.
Current model has been in place since 1935 National Labor Relations Act.[1]
- Enterprise-level bargaining. At least 30 percent of workers within a workplace petition to be represented by a union. NLRB sets time and place for election. If majority votes yes, they form a union.
- Unionized workers enjoy higher wages and better benefits than non-union workers.
- According to Princeton economist Henry Farber and Harvard sociologist Bruce Western, unionized companies have added fewer jobs over time than non-union companies. This has led to decline in union membership between 1970s and 1990s.
- Unions most successful in stagnating or shrinking industries (e.g. manufacturing, transportation, etc.)
- Increase labor costs for employers, who then hire fewer workers
Top Employers
What percentage of country works for public sector?
What percentage of country works for health care?
Union Membership
mid-1950s | A third of Americans belonged to a union.[1] |
2016 | 10.7% of Americans belong to unions.[1] (In 2017, 6.5% of private sector workers, 34.4% public sector workers. Latter has held steady, but public sector’s share of workforce overall has declined since the 1970s.[2]) |
Precarious Work
Temp workers, day workers, folks with multiple employers, etc.
Labor Law
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Dylan Matthews. “Europe could have the secret to saving America’s unions.” Vox, April 17, 2017.
- ↑ Justin Fox. “Labor Day: Unions Are Holding Strong in the Nordic Countries.” Bloomberg Opinion, September 3, 2018.