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TheBrief EconomyThe labor movemenT has long been sTrug-
gling in the U.S., as fewer workers join unions and
as high-profile organizing drives, like a June at-
tempt to unionize Volkswagen employees in Ten-
nessee, fall short.
But American workers, feeling left behind as the
economy grows around them, are joining together
to demand a bigger slice of the pie. On Sept. 16,
50,000 General Motors workers walked off the
job in their first strike since 2007, protesting idled
plants and low wages. Nearly 8,000 Marriott work-
ers went on strike in eight cities last year, while
31,000 supermarket employees in the Northeast did
the same in early 2019. In the past year, tens of thou-
sands of teachers walked out of their classrooms to
demand better pay and funding. In all, nearly half
a million workers participated in strikes and work
stoppages last year, the most since 1986. The labor
disruptions show no sign of abating; over 80,
Kaiser Permanente workers in six states say they are
walking out for a week starting on Oct. 14 in what
would be the largest American strike since 2000.
The recent labor unrest is in part fueled by
uneven economic growth. While companies are
prospering and the stock market hovers near all-
time highs, the benefits haven’t been felt by many
workers, who are often stuck in temporary jobs
with no benefits.Paradoxically, the strong economy also
emboldens workers. For a long time, the memory
of the Great Recession made many afraid to jeop-
ardize their jobs. But today there are more than
7 million job openings in the U.S., compared with
just 2.2 million a decade ago, according to govern-
ment data. When more jobs are available and un-
employment is low, people feel more confident in
demanding better pay and benefits. “Workers are
tired and frustrated and angry with stagnant wages
and job insecurity, and in a tight labor market they
are gaining the confidence to do something about
it,” says Harley Shaiken, a University of California,
Berkeley, professor who studies labor. The num-
ber of workers voluntarily quitting their jobs is at
its highest level in decades. “Fire me, and I’ll find
another job somewhere else,” says Tracy Pease,
a Detroit-area waitress who recently testified in
front of the Michigan statehouse advocating for a
higher tipped minimum wage.
Many nonunion workers also want change.
Those in the gig economy, many of whom areAs corporate America
booms, workers
demand their fair share
By Alana Semuelsconsidered independent contractors and thus not
eligible to unionize or receive benefits, have been
demanding higher pay and steadier hours. “The
economy is going back up for people that are buy-
ing the $72 million homes, it’s not going back up for
people like me,” says Mia Kelly, a former Instacart
driver who now helps organize protests through a
campaign called PayUp. Kelly and other gig workers
handed out peanuts at Postmates’ Bellevue, Wash.,
offices earlier in September to protest declining
pay; some have also testified before lawmakers.
Legislators have paid attention: on Sept. 11, Califor-
nia passed a landmark bill that could make it harder
for companies like Postmates to classify workers as
independent contractors.
While the GM walkout and similar large-scale
strikes are getting plenty of attention, only 10.5%
of the country’s workforce was unionized as of last
year, an all-time low. That’s in part because a strong
economy can inhibit unionization. Gary Chaison, a
professor emeritus of labor relations at Clark Uni-
versity, says workers who are doing better than they
were a few years ago are often skeptical that unions
will do any good. But Chaison argues those are often
the same workers who could most benefit from
the safety net that unions can offer if and when the
economy starts to sour. That may happen sooner
than later. In August, the stock market plunged after
the yield curve, a closely watched economic indica-
tor that has predicted past recessions, hinted at an
upcoming downturn, spooking investors into a sell-
off. “That’s the irony of the situation—as things be-
come worse, there’s more of a need for collectivism,”
JAKE MAY—THE FLINT JOURNAL/AP says Chaison. •
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Union supporters
protest outside of
the General Motors
Flint Assembly
plant on Sept. 16 in
Flint, Mich.