PAGE 16 | August 16, 2019 | NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS
Unions will re-build the middle class
By Alejandro Queral, Oregon Center for Public Policy
Fast food workers demanding the right
to form a union. Grocery store workers
voting to strike for higher, more equi-
table wages. Teachers taking to the
street to pressure for increased school
funding.
Recent actions such as these offer
hope for our nation. For as history and
data make clear, the fortunes of organ-
ized labor go hand-in-hand with those
of the middle class. Today, with eco-
nomic inequality having returned to
levels not seen in more than eight
decades, a revival of union power is
essential.
Historically, the fruits of organized
labor have spread widely. Unions have
led the effort to create an economy that
works for all Americans, resulting in
worker protections such as child labor
laws, safer working conditions, over-
time compensation, and the 40-hour
work week. Following World War II, a
vibrant labor movement nurtured a
broad middle class by setting standards
for wages and benefits. And while the
beginnings of the labor movement were
fraught with racism and discrimination,
African-Americans and later workers of gonian in the middle. By 2016, that
color came to make up a significant factor had jumped to 127 times.
portion of union membership.
This is no accident. In direct and in-
By the late 1970s, union member- direct ways, unions buffer against eco-
ship began to decline nationally and in nomic inequality and help ensure
Oregon, especially among private sec- shared prosperity.
tor workers. The offshoring of manu-
The most direct way by which
facturing jobs, more
unions reduce in-
aggressive efforts
equality is by collec-
from corporate lead-
tively bargaining for
As unionization waned,
ership to deter union-
higher wages. For ex-
economic inequality be-
ization, and a federal
ample, Oregon’s low-
gan to rise. In 1980, the
government more
est paid workers rep-
richest one-tenth of 1
willing to look the
resented by a union
other way are among
enjoy wages that are
percent in the state —
the many and com-
21 percent higher that
the richest 1 out of
plex factors leading
non-union workers,
every 1,000 Oregonians
to the decline. In
while unionized mid-
— made 26 times the
1977, unions repre-
dle-wage workers
income of the Oregon-
sented 34 percent of
earn 17 percent more
ian in the middle. By
the Oregon work-
than their non-union
force. By 2018, that
counterparts.
2016, that factor had
share had dropped to
Yet, the benefits
jumped to 127 times.
15 percent.
are not restricted to
As unionization
union members only.
waned, economic inequality began to In industries where unions are preva-
rise. In 1980, the richest one-tenth of lent, even nonunionized workers re-
1 percent in the state — the richest 1 ceive higher wages than similar work-
out of every 1,000 Oregonians — ers in less unionized industries. This is
made 26 times the income of the Ore- because the presence of unions in an
Staff
Charlie Johnson, Business Manager/FST
Josh Eckelberry, Business Representative
Joe Harris, Business Representative
Vanessa Steward, Business Representative
Brian Noble, Business Development
Darrin Boyce, Business Development
Russ Benton, Business Development
Lisa Bloker, Secretary
Callie Moore, Secretary
Zoe Hoyt, Secretary
industry can persuade nonunion em-
ployers to raise wages and benefits to
forestall unionizing campaigns and
compete for workers. Likewise, unions
can set standards for safety and bene-
fits for all workers in an industry.
Beyond gains in the workplace,
unions also play a key role in setting
the rules that govern the economy —
rules that either promote broadly
shared prosperity or prosperity for the
few. Here in Oregon, unions were in-
strumental in realizing a big increase
to the minimum wage a couple of
years ago. This year, unions led in
achieving the biggest increase in edu-
cation funding in the history of the
state.
This Labor Day, let’s honor the
struggles of organized labor that built
this nation’s middle class — and
which will rebuild it in the years to
come.
Alejandro Queral is Executive Director of the Oregon
Center for Public Policy (ocpp.org). The Center uses
research and analysis to advance policies and prac-
tices that improve the economic and social oppor-
tunities of all Oregonians.