When unions succeed, all workers benefit

There’s a lot to say about what’s happening in the world today, but at its core, the challenge we face is how to lift all workers into a more equitable and secure future. As labor leaders, we know that when workers stand together with one strong, united voice, they win better wages, benefits and working conditions. That’s why protecting the right to organize into unions and negotiate collective bargaining agreements is so critical.

If you think, “I’m not a union member, this doesn’t apply to me,” consider this: It’s unions that brought us the eight-hour workday, child labor laws and safer working conditions that all workers now enjoy. There’s no question that the labor movement has benefited us all, union or not.

The share of unionized workers in 1979 was 27%. That percentage fell to just 11.6% in 2019. Along with it, so did the wages of middle-class workers. According to a study by the Economic Policy Institute, declining union membership decreased the median worker’s wages by $1.56 per hour. Had union density remained at 1979 levels, workers would have earned another $3,250 a year.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, union members earn 15%-18% more than nonunion workers. And that’s before factoring in benefits such as health care, retirement pensions, etc. On the principle that “a rising tide lifts all boats,” nonunion employers must compete with union wages to attract and retain employees. Yet for decades, unions and collective bargaining have faced obstacles, contributing to a hollowing out of the middle class and a declining standard of living for all Americans. So, what went wrong?

The National Labor Relations Act of 1935 granted private-sector workers the right to organize and created the National Labor Relations Board to enforce those rights. But for decades, the board has been underfunded and understaffed, and now it’s under attack, limiting its ability to protect workers seeking to organize. When justice is delayed, workers lose the ability to exercise their rights, income inequality grows, and families are trapped in poverty. How can this be fixed?

Assembly Bill 288, now moving through the California Legislature, is a simple but powerful solution. It allows workers who have been stalled by federal delays to seek relief at the state level. This bill safeguards the right to organize and ensures workers can exercise their constitutional rights without unnecessary obstacles.

All workers have an inalienable right to organize, enshrined in the U.S. and California constitutions. The state not only has the right but also the responsibility to protect these rights. AB 288 provides a state-level safety net, cuts through corporate delay tactics, safeguards the right to organize and ensures timely justice for workers.

This Labor Day, we face a critical choice: protect workers’ rights or let decades of progress continue to slip away. Again, workers who stand together in unions earn higher wages, better benefits and safer working conditions — not just for themselves, but for all workers. Yet for too long, the National Labor Relations Board has been unable to deliver timely justice.

We all benefit from the victories of the labor movement. This Labor Day, let’s honor that legacy by standing up for workers and rebuilding the middle class. Tell your state senators and Assembly members: we need AB 288, and we need it now.

Maddy Hirshfield is political director of the North Bay Labor Council. Jack Buckhorn is executive director of the North Bay Labor Council.