Changes would likely make it more difficult for workers to form unions and negotiate workplace improvements, but the labor movement may withstand those headwinds since many of the factors that have driven its growth remain in place, experts said.
Unions need to plan a response now.
But local governments - cities and counties - are stepping up to advocate for workers.
This year, state advocates were better equipped to organize in opposition to harmful bills
A surge of organizing could weaken some of the forces that have made organizing difficult in recent decades. It could inhibit some of the structural changes, start to alter the political factors, and counter the aggressiveness of employers.
Windmill Farms mushroom workers and UFW President Teresa Romero come to Seattle to share their struggle to fight exploitation and unionize.
New York labor law will require employers to provide paid leave for pregnant employees for prenatal care, starting 2025.
The National Labor Relations Act still functions, just barely, for Starbucks workers. Employees at fast-food franchises face even worse odds under federal labor law.
The gains in union membership in 2023 were driven entirely by workers under the age of 45, says Heidi Shierholz, president of the left-leaning Economic Policy Institute.
With public support for unions at near-record highs and new federal rules that actually enable organizing, unions need to mount massive campaigns.
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