Public approval of labor unions remains at a six-decade high, with bipartisan support from across the political spectrum. Data shows that union workers earn higher wages, are more likely to have health insurance coverage, and have greater access to paid leave. Though the unionization rate fell nationally for the second consecutive year, the United States […]
For most unions in the United States, ‘no strike’ collective bargaining clauses are the most visible manifestation of the twentieth-century industrial relations commitment to maintaining ‘labor peace.’ Unions and employers agree to a detailed contractual grievance and arbitration process in exchange for workers waiving a right to strike and assurances from management to address worker […]
Labor unions have historically delivered pathways into good, middle-class careers. Through collective bargaining, union workers earn higher wages, are more likely to have health insurance coverage, and have greater access to paid leave. A recent surge in union activity is taking place following years of worsening inequality, the COVID-19 pandemic, and a national labor shortage.Read […]
An estimated 15.2 percent of Illinois’ workers are represented by a union. These workers can voluntarily choose to leave their unionized workplace, opt out of paying certain dues, or vote to decertify their labor organization. Thus, labor unions in Illinois must continually demonstrate how workers benefit from contributing membership dues. This Policy Brief, conducted jointly […]
Since 2003, unionization has declined in Illinois, in the Chicago region, and in America. There areapproximately 116,000 fewer union members in Illinois today than there were in 2003, contributing to the 1.26 million drop in union workers across the nation over that time. Declining union membership has primarily been the result of decreases in male […]
The United States population has always been typified by significant diversity. Particularly since the Industrial Revolution, the residents of modern America have come from a mix of racial, ethnic, gender, educational, religious, and political backgrounds. The industrialization of the economy also induced an expansion in another significant socioeconomic group in America: the union household. Union […]
In the spring of 2009, labor relations faculty affiliated with four major university-based labor education programs collaborated on a study of their respective state laws mandating a majority authorization process for organizing employees in the public sector. The project was inspired by the national debate surrounding the proposed federal Employee Free Choice Act. Conventional reporting […]
An important but remarkably under analyzed labor studies subject is the relationship between union identity and union member voting behavior. The dominant political theory in America holds that pluralism generates overlapping and crosscutting interests that militate against the formation of a dominant political orientation. However, it is the thesis of this work that once subjected […]