The Battle for Unions 

“It’s not up to me to decide whether anyone should join a union. But let me be even more clear: It’s not up to an employer to decide that, either. The choice to join a union is up to the workers. Full stop,” Biden stated, addressing a pressing issue that has caused tension to workers across the country. 

What is a labor union? Labor unions are defined as an organization of workers dedicated to protecting their interests and improving wages, hours, and working conditions. Because one individual employee has little power in, for example, legal issues, when working within a large company, he/she will often join a union. In the case that unfair action is done on the employee by the employer, the union will provide the employee with support and protection. Following the industrial revolution in the late 19th century, labor unions became prevalent, providing protection to workers all across the nation. Nationally organized labor unions have influenced federal legislation, such as the creation of the U.S. Department of Labor and civil rights legislation. Union power reached its peak in the 1940s. 

There are several pros and cons to unions, and it is legal for employers to persuade their employees not to unionize. The unionizing campaign within Amazon’s Bessemer warehouse, which began as a small, under-the-radar movement has become extremely large scale and is now being discussed all over the nation.  

The vote took place in Bessemer, Alabama, commencing on February 8th and ending on March 30th with a heavy sigh as votes against the union prevailed. While the Gallup Poll has found that roughly two-thirds of Americans approve of unions — up from half in 2009, unionizing a large company such as Amazon requires extreme measures. The campaign not only focused on the working conditions at the Bessemer warehouse but also on the hardships of low-wage workers and workers of color in particular. Union organizers have sought to “link the vote to the struggle for civil rights in the South”, as many of the workers in the Bessemer warehouse are black. This union victory would have signified a victory for all workers but black workers in particular, who advocate for safety protections and a means to economic security through a labor union. 

Prior to the voting period, Amazon offered several counterarguments to the fight for unionization. First, Amazon asserted that their starting wage is 15$ an hour, which is more than double the minimum wage in Alabama. The company also made active efforts in “educating” their workers about the cons of unions, going as far as putting signs in bathroom stalls and hand sanitizing stations pointing out why unions are bad. Furthermore, it is speculated that Amazon has also tried to bribe their union-supporting employees into quitting, offering at least $1,000 to leave and give up their vote.

So, what are the downsides of unions? One downside of a union is that it may pit workers against the company, hence why a company may be against unionization. Rather than trying to work hand-in-hand with their company, employees under a union may take advantage of a union’s power and use it against their company to demand unrealistic rights or benefits. The larger a union becomes, the more powerful it is. This can make it difficult for a company to hold power over its workers. Another disadvantage of a union is its affect on the natural rate of unemployment. Because unions raise the wage if workers above equilibrium level (a state in which economic forces are balanced), the quantity demanded of labor decreases while the quantity supplied of labor rises. This causes a surplus of unwanted labor with fewer spots to fill, which ultimately translates to increase unemployment. 

Whether or not every vote against the union was an honest one, the loss of unionizing campaign has sparked a shift in strategy. No, they are not planning to give up. They are going to fight harder. Labor leaders have stated that they will now “step up their informal efforts to highlight and resist the company’s business and labor practices rather than seek elections at individual job sites, as in Bessemer.” No longer relying on the election process to fuel their labor movement, leaders of the campaign plan to gather a larger group of warehouse workers in order to better persuade the company. Despite the fact that union membership has declined by almost 1/3 of private-sector workers, (mostly because employers have become more flexible with addressing workers’ needs) labor leaders nonetheless express that rich, powerful companies have become bolder in gaining advantages from labor laws. 

Refusing to let the loss of the election discourage them, leaders of the unionizing campaign plan to combine workplace actions, such as walk-outs, with pressuring company executives through facts and figures regarding labor conditions. Ruth Milkman, a sociologist of labor at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, stated that “It’s all about putting pressure on decision-makers at the top.” Over 1,000 Amazon workers across the nation have taken initiative and contacted the retail workers union, girding for direct confrontation with the company.

As a student who has only worked part-time internships in offices and has never been a labor-worker inside of a warehouse, I cannot empathize with the working conditions that these employees have to suffer through. However, I do know from research and education that the working conditions of low-class workers and workers of color can be extremely poor, especially if they are not protected by any form of a labor union. I feel that despite the risks or alleged disadvantages of labor unions, the rights of workers come first and above all. A company cannot call truly themselves successful or ethical if they do not value the conditions in which their employees work in.

Sources:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labor_unions_in_the_United_States

nytimes.com/2021/03/02/business/amazon-union-bessemer-alabama.html?referringSource=articleShare

nytimes.com/2021/04/09/business/economy/amazon-labor-unions.html

investopedia.com/financial-edge/0113/the-history-of-unions-in-the-united-states.aspx#:~:text=National%20organized%20labor%20groups%20have,during%20the%201940s%20and%201950s.