In light of the youth-driven surge of union drives at Starbucks, Amazon, Apple and elsewhere, the AFL-CIO – the main US’s labor federation – is facing growing pressure to undertake a bolder effort to help today’s burst of unionizing expand far faster
Based on current filings alone, the Starbucks Union is already on track to have 6,400 workers at 230 stores.
Between 2019 and 2021, the overall percentage of U.S. union members stayed flat. But the percentage of workers ages 25-34 who are union members rose from 8.8% to 9.4%, or around 68,000 workers, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.
“The ‘pay your dues’ concept is a trap.” At a first job, it’s almost a cultural expectation that you’ll be underpaid, harassed, or exploited in some way.
This new voting bloc is made up of several different demographic groups, including young people, ex-felons, and newly naturalized citizens.
Union membership has been declining for more than a half-century. The demographic most positively disposed to unions is younger people, who spend their lives online. Reaching the next generation of union members means online organizing.
As measures to slow the coronavirus pandemic lead to mass layoffs, people ages 18 to 34 are being disproportionately affected.
The American labor movement has been reinvigorated in recent years, with teacher-led Red for Ed strikes, the General Motors walkout, the Fight for $15’s push to raise the minimum wage. Sixty-seven per cent of young people 18 - 34 approve of unions.
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Workers across many industries are increasingly banding together and standing up against management as part-time and contract work grows, automation amps up, and wages barely budge, labor observers say. Silicon Valley tech workers have started a coalition to unite.
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