The fall (and rise?) of unions in the US

We answered a viewer’s question about the decline of unionization.
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“How come we’ve seen such a decline in unionization in the US?” That’s the question we received from one of our viewers, Cameron when we put out a call for topics to explain. It comes at an interesting time.
Earlier this year, the Amazon Labor Union won its first election at a large warehouse in New York, and more than 200 Starbucks locations have voted to unionize since baristas in Buffalo broke the seal in December 2021. The National Labor Relations Board reports that petitions for union elections are up 56 percent this year compared to 2021.
This level of energy and momentum in the labor movement is remarkable in light of the long, steep decline in union membership rates since the 1950s. Social science has limited tools for establishing what caused that decline, and different experts tend to emphasize different factors. But in the video above, we dig into a few key drivers of low union density in the US relative to other wealthy countries.
Sources:
Barry Eidlin, Labor and the Class Idea in the United States and Canada barryeidlin.org/theclassidea/
Nelson Lichtenstein, State of the Union press.princeton.edu/books/pap...
Zachary Schaller, “Decomposing the Decline of Unions: Revisiting Sectoral and Regional Shifts” journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/...
OECD, “Collective bargaining systems and workers’ voice arrangements in OECD countries” www.oecd-ilibrary.org/sites/a...
Barry T. Hirsch and David A. Macpherson unionstats.com/
Bloomberg Law news.bloomberglaw.com/daily-l... news.bloomberglaw.com/bloombe...
Economic Policy Institute www.epi.org/unequalpower/publ...
Gallup news.gallup.com/poll/12751/la...
Thomas Kochan et al “Worker Voice in America: Is There a Gap between What Workers Expect and What They Experience?” journals.sagepub.com/doi/full...
Alejandro Reuss, “What’s Behind Union Decline in the United States?” dollarsandsense.org/archives/...
Henry Farber, Bruce Western, Accounting for the Decline of Unions in the Private Sector, 1973-1998, link.springer.com/article/10....
G. William Domhoff, “The Rise and Fall of Labor Unions In The U.S.” whorulesamerica.ucsc.edu/powe...
Michael Goldfield and Amy Bromsen, “The Changing Landscape of US Unions in Historical and Theoretical Perspective” www.annualreviews.org/doi/10....
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[@Vox]

If you're like Cameron and you have big questions about what's happening in the world today, we'd like to help find your answer! Fill out our form and your question could be answered next: forms.gle/Mgp2oqa3gr8tNw1M7 Please note that for this format, we're only accepting video questions via the form above. Thanks for watching!

[@Coolsomeone234]

This comment feels like a scam

[@bhaveshjain1044]

Hey @vox love what u guys do..i hope u focus on other countries too like India . Don't be fixated on the west.. Besides hire me for India 🤣 pls. N glad u are allowing those questions again though video is the only format to shoot that question..i hope it gets selected when i send u one

[@khalilshahyd9063]

Two books - 1.) Race, Money and the American Welfare State by Michael K. Brown and 2.) Black and Blue: African-Ams, the Labor Movement, and the Decline of the Democratic Party by Paul Frymer tell the central role of racism in the decline of unions and should be a part of this story.

[@AlexeiLjanej]

Why do some of Vox’s charts have gaps in them?

[@rezakarampour6286]

' The End of American Empire Is Here '

[@tinhov1]

As a european, it is always curious to see, that in (nearly) every social issue the US faces today, Reagan is involved in some form or another.

[@lahavzaken6638]

He ruined us in many ways

[@soorian6493]

He was our Thatcher

[@ericcarabetta1161]

He was the worst thing to ever happen to this country, and unfortunately it has affected the planet and other countries too; sorry about that. Reagan was the beginning of the neoliberal capitalist robbery that would plan to gut the entire country to its bones, stripping everything and anything of value and putting it into private hands, anything that benefited anyone was to be destroyed. They are right on track to collapse the entire country by 2030, after they have cleared the vault of any remaining valuables; Social Security, Medicare, and the VA.

[@Bobywan75]

@@soorian6493 Macron is the French Thatcher/Reagan.

[@c.w.8200]

Regan should be a name as cursed as Hitler and Stalin.

[@jbant9294]

Without watching I’m going to blindly assume Reagan is behind this and see if I’m wrong

[@onomatopoeia162003]

KEKW

[@euanvanstraaten4971]

Yeah I would say this video try to discover multiple reasons for this decline. In reality, it was as simple as people like reagan allowed so if people tried to organize and strike for their labour rights, they’d either be replaced with cheaper labour or fired so people were like, what’s the point? I’m other words, the boss can do whatever he wants

[@night6724]

how was Reagan behind it? Breaking up one union didn’t do anything and unions were already declining before Reagan

[@newsaxonyproductions7871]

@@euanvanstraaten4971 I did find interesting, though, how they provided info on how the percent of unionized manufacturing jobs has remained about the same and the national decline in unionization has largely been through a growth in service industries which start off as non-union

[@rainbow28453]

It's to do with a greater shift in the global economy during the Thatcher-Reagan era. Massive deregulation, defunding of social welfare etc etc. There is obviously a greater multifaceted historical context to the decline of unions, but the point is that Reagan was a major cause for the decline in the quality of life of working people around the world.

[@VNExperience]

In Finland, on my first day working in construction my boss recommended that I join the union. He even helped me fill in the paperwork after explaining all the benefits in detail. Everyone I knew was in the union, and for a good reason. If you lost your job or were treated unfairly, the union provided legal assistance and took care of you financially until you got a new job. It really pays to unionize. Our unions were born out of the early 20th century American movement and they're still going strong. Sadly, it seems that's not the case in the country that inspired them.

[@Coolsomeone234]

That's Finland though

[@macgobhann8712]

@@Coolsomeone234 and?

[@loturzelrestaurant]

IF YOURE INTERESTED: The Best Worker-Struggle and Union Coverage was and still is the VIdeos of 'Some More News' and 'Second Thought'.

[@axthla8435]

@3 kilometres I’m not sure if there is any one particular article, but in general, it was atleast partially due to the union boom in the US during the 50’s and 60’s in which workers in Europe (most notably northern europe) started getting into unions themselves.

[@Lavabug]

@@100c0c International Worker's Day was born in the US during the May Day riots and that inspired a lot of worker movements globally. But maybe there's something more recent that inspired unions in Finland?

[@jfridy]

At my wife's job, Half Price Books, they are holding seminars about the dangers of unions. They tell them that unions will lead to lower wages, less job security, less benefits. This all started when the company fired half of its employees 2 years ago and replaced them with part timers with no benefits. Then the Wisconsin Half Price Book stores unionized. They company considered shutting down all of them and abandoning the state, and now is trying to contain what they see is a contagion. Did I mention that Half Price Books is based out of Texas? Unions are seen as dangerous COMMUNISM, and a threat to the companies massive profits in the last 2 years. Don't shop at Half Price Books.

[@KevinContreras2013]

Noted. Thank you!

[@Lavabug]

@@Paonporteur I know your comment is disingenuous, but here are the facts. Corporations are responsible for open borders policies that enable businesses to hire desperate highly educated people at well below market rates, then keep them trapped and threaten them with visa troubles if they don't work 80hrs and do as they're told. Some immigration restrictions are necessary to protect all workers from employer abuse. That said US immigration is way less strict than in a lot of the West. Nordic countries are notoriously harsh, but they actually force employers to prove that hiring a foreigner won't be done at a wage less than the national average. Good for all workers. Unions do much more than you give them credit for with such a dishonest statement.

[@roshnipatel2000]

Dang, I really like half priced books. Guess I’ll just go to the library, then.

[@jaedubbo]

Thank you for sharing this! I used to work at a half price books and it was definitely an experience when it came to management, but this was all in 2019. I'm grossed out that HPB is out here spreading lies about unions and attempting to instill a sense of fear into its workers. Working at HPB requires manual labor along with standing for hours and providing customer service, even to the people who treat you terribly. Of course this isn't unique to HPB work, but I say this because workers at HPB deserve to unionize in peace. I won't be shopping at half price books anymore. I encourage anyone who reads this to support their local libraries as there's so many free resources offered, some that you would be surprised to know of. I say this as a current librarian and someone who wants everyone to be able to have access to the resources they need for free or as close to free as possible

[@Hoodiemorr]

Mine closed down months ago. Good riddance.

[@cameronf3343]

I like how there were maybe 3 decades or so that it was financially prosperous for the middle class - could have a husband, wife, and 2+ kids on one income and still be financially sustainable - and it was when union memberships were highest.

[@Cecilia-ky3uw]

*Also when the Americans were the only ones with an industry unharmed.

[@intricatic]

@@100c0c It was also when we didn't have a diffused global supply chain since most production was done domestically (the hardware was all right there and it wasn't cheaper to simply abandon all those factories for more desperate labor overseas, via legislative subsidy).

[@amaizeing.dumbass5123]

@@intricatic that was when the US had a 1/6 of the population it has in present day

[@blondie7240]

They explained why that was, union membership followed the economy. When the economy suffered union membership followed, not the other way around.

[@felixlpilon]

It must be noted that Québec drives the 'Canadian' average way up by being included in the statistics despite having a very different economy. The Québec economy has a much larger public sector (including gigantic State-owned companies such as Hydro-Québec) and very union-friendly legislation. The unionization rate in Québec is nearly 40%, while Ontario's is barely above 25%.

[@felixlpilon]

Also, hiring scabs is outright illegal.

[@johnsamuel1999]

Too powerful unions are quite bad . We see that in public sector jobs ( like state owned corporations and government jobs ) . They demand too much money and benefits for what the labor is worth . They make it too difficult to release or remove employees. And they protect bad employees (slackers , trouble makers or unproductive employees). They also lead to price fixing of labour when different unions work with each other to bargain for wages . They also organize stikes , which cause huge disruption and hold entire operations hostage until their demands are meet

[@night6724]

Unions are insanely corrupt

[@night6724]

And Quebec is insanely corrupt

[@RaulNecrobie]

@@johnsamuel1999 You speak like a greedy capitalist..

[@lylaburmeister8076]

So strange seeing the percentages for union members on that chart as someone currently living in Sweden. I mean, here roughly 3/4 of the work force is in a union. I mean, at my current workplace, there are even posters up with information about the union as well as the phone numbers and email to our local representative so that everyone is aware of their existence and feels like they can join them and contact them for anything.

[@user-vj8pi3yn9x]

just the opposite i think🤣🤣

[@jeffersonclippership2588]

Americans are infected with serf mentality. Centuries ago in Sweden, and the rest of Europe, people were taught the nobility had God given power to rule over everyone and that people were obligated to obey and never question them. Modern Americans believe the exact same thing but we've replaced the nobility with capitalists and God with the free market.

[@GoogelyeyesSaysHej]

Deltagande i facket har sjunkit mycket tyvärr, det brukade ligga på 88%

[@GoogelyeyesSaysHej]

Also, fun fact for you americans: even the bosses in companies have their own union. There are different unions for each sector. Some examples are: engineers, teachers, hotel staff, store workers, construction workers, factory workers, nurses and so on.

[@mcfrosty8739]

Same here in the UK, my department isn't huge at all but yet we have our own Union rep who has his own office for confidential discussions, got paid by the company to attend teaching days to get him up to scratch with how to do the Union job etc. We even have our own Union for our section of the country which probably only really involves one other fairly-decent sized company.

[@nicoles9373]

I’m a unionized Canadian worker, and I make $4-5/hour more than others doing the exact same job as me in the same city (6 workplaces in the same industry here). The benefits that being a union member confers are real and measurable, and when more workplaces are union the standard of living will go up for all workers, because companies feel the pressure to compete.

[@Cecilia-ky3uw]

*It also creates a difficult situation for some companies either becoming unprofitable or creating signifigant barriers to entry for smaller businesses

[@nicoles9373]

@@Cecilia-ky3uw Then why is it that there were more small businesses back in the heyday of unions, 1950s-1970s? Massive conglomerates are the enemy of small businesses, not unions. They undercut prices until they drive their competition to extinction. To combat this, strong anti-trust legislation is what we need. Furthermore, businesses that can only survive by paying wages that have to be subsidized by the government (tax payers) via low-income housing, food stamp programs, etc, should not exist. The existence of unions are not a barrier to entry - they force companies to innovate, to see where they can be more efficient in order maximize the amount they can pay their employees. Make no mistake, the truly entrepreneurial already do this - but without a union, the fruits of that innovation go to like the pockets of shareholders, and shareholders alone.

[@MagDrag123]

@@Cecilia-ky3uw If a business can't pay its workers well, then it probably shouldn't exist.

[@Cecilia-ky3uw]

@@MagDrag123 secondly, say bye to your local supermarket and a potential majority of businesses or expect some massive inflation

[@Silvermoon1142]

Do your union dues eat up that extra 4-5$ an hour that you make? If so it might mean that you technically break even and your employer has to pay more because there is a union. When I ran the numbers on places I could work that had unions and places I could work that didn't I found that after subtracting the union dues the paychecks were pretty much the same.

[@sadjesse]

In Belgium, every company with 50 or more employees is mandatory to have a union. So most companies exist of a lot of separate small companies of max 49 employees within one building for example.

[@Zarincos]

@Bob Smith Is that even bad? I mean, obviously it's an annoying thing to get around requirements, but I don't think that it creates any bad situation other than leaving employees where they'd be without the requirement in the first place.

[@miroslavhoudek7085]

@Bob Smith So true. Negotiating for your salary is just a waste of productive labor that you can do on a lower salary.

[@axelnils]

In Sweden, unions are completely independent of companies. Anyone can join or leave a union for people employed in similar jobs, at any time, and around 80% of employees do. The union is profession or sector based and negotiates with every employer in that sector. This gives the unions significant power.

[@agme8045]

@@axelnils same in argentina, but here unions are literally mafias, they have way too much power and money bc of local policies. For eg they get to manage all of the healthcare of the workers

[@loturzelrestaurant]

@@axelnils IF YOURE INTERESTED: The Best Worker-Struggle and Union Coverage was and still is the Videos of 'Some More News' and 'Second Thought'.

[@piekay7285]

Germany has something called the „Betriebsrat“, every company with more than 10 employees is legally required to create one. You can imagine it like a Union inside of the company, but it isn‘t included in these statistics, because it doesn’t count as a Union…

[@benduncan4027]

Not only Germany, a lot of European countries have that.

[@adud6764]

No, they are not required to create one, they just can't oppose it.

[@Nuke_Skywalker]

like when lidl employees wanted to and tgen got sabotaged by managers

[@Jonas_M_M]

I prefer these councils over unions as they aren't set up for conflict.

[@CloroxBleachCompany]

Those would be more akin to “HR departments” than labor unions which are actually run by the employees.

[@nickzardiashvili624]

Let's not ignore that excellent Squidward art behind Cameron.

[@NewWaveEnthusiast]

Bold and brash.

[@shinigummyl1586]

Such a supreme taste of art

[@tylerphuoc2653]

Antiunion sentiment? More like, belongs in the trash

[@DylanJo123]

@@tylerphuoc2653 GAHAHAHAHHAHA

[@InevitableTruth247]

A video on how to unionize step by step would be amazing, especially for younger folks like myself who are interested in the prospect and can have the confidence to make the move with their co workers

[@c.l.p.3691]

There’s a lot of available information out there. If there’s a left leaning bookstore near you, that’s a good place to start. Even on twitter or other social media you’ll be able to find loads of people willing to help.

[@itstaco761]

Just speak to a local union rep on your industry. Just look up the industry you're in and what union has coverage over it, and call/email them on their website. (this is at least how it generally works in Australia)

[@CloroxBleachCompany]

Most libraries have outdated material on unions and usually just focus on labor law instead of “salting” or the movements you might be describing, your best bet would be to reach out to labor organizers directly. Some successful union campaigns in recent years: Amazon union election, Fight for $15, Justice for Janitors, and to a certain degree employee vs. self-contractor designation for those who work in the gig economy. Teamsters, SEIU, and AFL-CIO tend to be more politically engaged and like to “activate” workers even in industries that they don’t yet represent (e.g. Uber drivers), other unions like police, fire, or those who handle machinery tend to focus on themselves and their employees instead growing the broader labor movement.

[@uvbe]

Sure, there is information out there. But that doesn't mean Vox can't release a guide too. They'd probably do it way more comprehensibly than most other information you could find.

[@night6724]

Unions are insanely corrupt and a money laundering scheme

[@c-5921]

It's really weird that the Taft-Hartley Act wasn't even mentioned. Taft-Hartley basically neutered unions and corresponds exactly with the decline of union membership.

[@BTrain-is8ch]

Not mentioning right to work laws was unexpected. That said, if unions can't maintain themselves without coercion they shouldn't exist.

[@loturzelrestaurant]

@@BTrain-is8ch IF YOURE INTERESTED: The Best Worker-Struggle and Union Coverage was and still is the Videos of 'Some More News' and 'Second Thought'.

[@night6724]

@@BTrain-is8ch so people shouldn’t have the right ot work?

[@night6724]

Because liberals want the 50s to be the era of strong unions

[@blitcut9712]

@@night6724 Right to work laws don't have anything to do with peoples right to work. It simply prohibits having a requirement to join a union to be employed at a business.

[@leemoore9400]

As a union member is am just so happy that I work in a union job. And yes I pay $60 a month in union dues but that translates to me getting 3 weeks paid vacation plus 13 sick days per year and only having to spend $500 a year on medical expenses before insurance covers everything else. Also a great retirement package

[@Ilikefire2793]

How much is hourly?

[@Heyelve]

Can I ask how did you get into unions? Is it a private union or a government?

[@leemoore9400]

@@Ilikefire2793 started at $18 in 2014 now at $31

[@leemoore9400]

@@Heyelve public union I work in municipal government

[@Ilikefire2793]

@@leemoore9400 Nice. Though how much was minimum wage at the time?

[@dama9150]

The irony that Reagan was the only president in history who was a union leader! (Actros Union) He conveniently hid that fact.

[@night6724]

No he didn’t he was proud of it. Reagan wasn’t anti union. He was too pro free trade which lead to manufacturing to move to China since unions were overly demanding

[@Coolsomeone234]

@@night6724 Biden is also very pro union

[@night6724]

@@Coolsomeone234 and that’s a bad thing. What good have unions done in the last 60 years? Also why do these videos ignore Taft Hartley? Because they need their narrative to be that unions created the middle class in the 50s when that wasn’t true and even then they had much less power than during the new deal era Unions are terrible

[@KRYMauL]

@@night6724 Regan was a good President, and all he ever did was cut out bloat that other Presidents demolished. Those policies were never put back in place, though.

[@MrJason005]

@@night6724 What good have unions done in the last 60 years? Well, they guaranteed the 5-day work week for starters. How about good wages for workers? Or reasonable hours? Etc.

[@MrMtanz]

For the history of unions segment, you should have mentioned the Hormel strike during the 1980s

[@Julio974]

Interesting to see all the hurdles to workers’ rights in the US, especially from France where we have a constitutional right to unionize

[@bullydungeon9631]

The US is like 6 corporations in a trench coat pretending to be a country, and three of those corporations keep lobing bombs at other countries

[@khanch.6807]

@@bullydungeon9631 Why don't you use the 2nd amendment to fix it? It's not just for defence or school shooting.

[@Shoobster]

@@khanch.6807 What do you mean by this? Could you share an example?

[@PremierCCGuyMMXVI]

And yet people claim the United States is the “best country” in the world smh 🤦‍♂️

[@CloroxBleachCompany]

I wouldn’t use France as a model for unionization. The country is stereotyped for constantly being on strike and producing the bare minimum which is why their country has limited industries. Germany would probably be a better model for the U.S. since their workers have similar work ethic, but even so American companies don’t like 2-3 month gaps due to holiday 😂

[@tonyrosetti2738]

Teacher here. I've always hoped private sector folks would wake up to the power of organizing and how important it is for overall social cohesion. Employers don't like it but having power be a little more balanced will make things better for everyone.

[@TurdFergusen]

Unions protect lazy and entitled people from being fired. Then if youre someone who cares about their job you have to pick up their slack, or give up become lazy too. Ask any California state employee.

[@night6724]

Teacher unions are insanely corrupt. Unions in general are insanely corrupt. They don’t care about the workers. They’re a money laundering scheme. Also they’re insanely racist 😊

[@night6724]

@Russ Ingram no they don’t. they’re an outlet for union bosses to make tons of money at the expense of the consumer. During the gilded age industrialists like rockefeller and carnegie maintained high wages and low hours despite weak unions. Unions are a mafia

[@Cecilia-ky3uw]

*I would prefer that instead of organising strikes that Unions instead play the political game in a similar arrangement to that in WW2 with Samuel Gompers where everyone avoids strikes.

[@houchi69]

Except Unions can't save your jobs. When you were handed the slips, you need to go.

[@theflorri]

if management is so terrified of unions, there has to be a lot in it for the people who unionize

[@Native722]

Giving employees too much power

[@anthonymorandi9005]

Gives the employees power to negotiate with the employer to a reasonable standard. Many people fought and surprisingly died for it and it was tossed away. People don’t know this history of the U.S. Very well

[@Chineeex]

I love how Vox engages with their subscribers and actually makes a video answering his concerns regarding unions!

[@kermitfrog593]

Well, I'm still waiting for them to make a video on the Mara Lago raid. Get on it, Vox!

[@KaritKtana]

Americans, using Whatsapp?!? Vox floors me yet again!

[@Dannybythebanana]

Americans using WhatsApp, more likely than you think

[@RokeJulianLockhart.s13ouq]

...?

[@sirrivet9557]

Whatsapp in the us is mostly used now by various groups who for whatever reason believe they need an encrypted sort of anonymous service. Whatsapp really isn’t *that* great for it but that’s what people think so okay.

[@danielschick7554]

My ex is Colombiana so she required that I have Whatsapp on my phone for texting with her.

[@aaronclift]

I use it to text me friends who don’t live in the United States.

[@BuddyL]

Workers should *never* be called "lucky just to have a job"; it's the *bosses* who should consider themselves lucky to have people work with them. "You have nothing to lose but your chains." ✊🏿

[@rezakarampour6286]

' The End of American Empire Is Here .'

[@welcometotheinternet574]

@@rezakarampour6286 What?

[@rezakarampour6286]

@@welcometotheinternet574 Search : ' Solving 9-11 By Christopher Bollyn '

[@welcometotheinternet574]

@@rezakarampour6286 Can’t really find it. But when you say the end of the American Empire do you mean as in nowadays rhe American workforce is unable to afford half the goods they could in the 50’s or you mean as in China is overtakijg some of the intenrational place the American Industry once took?

[@AussieTVMusic]

It's amazing more Americans aren't in Unions considering the country was formed by a Union and they have a Union of states. Yet they let themselves be oppressed by business.

[@JL-tm3rc]

Just look at what happened to the agricultural workers in california. Many were replaced with machineries. Detroit car workers unionized and look what happened. Or how about the coal mining industry it declined at the start of unions. It seems every time unions get involved some workers lose their job and those who remain benefit

[@Lavabug]

Mate it's not for a lack of trying. Read about the Ludlow massacre, WV mine wars, or CIO's sabotaged unionization of the South. For more recent examples, see how the Tennessee governor called the national guard as scab workers to replace striking union nurses. The government is owned by the rich and will use the military on workers who get out of line.

[@AussieTVMusic]

@@JL-tm3rc Yeah that's just untrue.

[@chrisaycock5965]

Yep.. Reaganomics ruined a lot of things.

[@8is]

At least it got us out of the crisis in the 70s. Right now, we're in a similar situation, perhaps we need a similar solution.

[@chrisaycock5965]

@@8is there’s not a really a great way out of it this time the expendable wealth of Americans is a lot lower than it was previously

[@victorvelez8469]

Reagan’s policies didn’t actually get us out of the crisis in the 70s tho??? If you look at all into his policies effects you would know this?

[@8is]

@@chrisaycock5965 There's no great or painless solution to any crisis, but we have to face reality and accept our losses if we are to fix the situation.

[@8is]

@@victorvelez8469 What do you mean? His policies were specifically aimed at curving inflation, which he succeeded at.

[@joermnyc]

All foreign car makers that build their cars in the US (to avoid the costs and tariffs from importing) have their factories in Southern States that are unfriendly to Unions (especially the UAW.)

[@Ilikefire2793]

It has nothing to do with tariffs. shipping cars across the sea's is not easy or cheap due to standard container dimensions. Try loading cars into containers at any reasonable scale. Its literally impossible. Hence why they only due it with special rare and expensive import vehicles.

[@benzero75]

False. Every single state has workplaces with unions, so calling any of them unfriendly is without merit. Second, those foreign car makers have facilities and subsidiaries across the U.S., not just Southern states. Most of them even have facilities in Canada where union membership is more likely.

[@joermnyc]

@@Ilikefire2793 they have cargo ships designed to carry cars, it’s basically a giant floating parking structure as there’s several decks to hold cars, and a ramp that folds out and raises up and down to each level (since there’s no port infrastructure like that). That’s what sank near the Canary Islands carrying all those high end cars from Europe.

[@LeBoucleToledo]

Or they end up moving that production to Mexico because, you know, cheaper labor.

[@benzero75]

@@LeBoucleToledo Should a business not be allowed to make a decision that is in their financial best interests? Also, are you aware of how many union workplaces in the U.S. still only make minimum wage or only slightly above it?

[@tecpaocelotl]

My mom and my grandpa were in unions. It's interesting how it's slowly gaining.

[@night6724]

Explain the merits of unions

[@tecpaocelotl]

@@night6724 a big important one that this video missed is back when they joined, people of color were paid less than white people for doing the same job. Unions help semi fix that issue. My grandpa bought a house which he couldn't afford with the wages before joining.

[@night6724]

@@tecpaocelotl what? Unions excluded black people and ensured only whites would get. Unions were insanely racist and lead to millions of blacks to be left behind in poverty. And i doubt your grandpa bought a house with union wages given how pricey unions fees are. why do you act like unions are charity?

[@TimothyCHenderson]

@@night6724 After 40 years of Neo-conservative economic policy, wage stagnation, a significant and still growing productivity to wage growth gap and of course CEO's making on average 300x's the average employee's rate compared to 20x's in the 60's, unions may be the solution. You may be someone who believes the status quo is the right course of action, in which case good for you for committing. Otherwise, if you want change then the burden of proof to explain an alternative should be on you.

[@night6724]

@@TimothyCHenderson okay a few things to break down - Wage stagnation - it isn’t happening. Wages have consistently gone up. Inflation had been an issue but that irrespective of wages. The fact is when you raise wages the prices for good also increases. - productivity - that is attributed to automation as in general the average American works for less hours than in the 1950s and 60s - CEO pay - why is this relevant? And again it’s all in the matter of recording. While net worth ceos earned technically less back then that’s becuase non liquidated assets weren’t included whereas they are now. Elon musk may be worth 200 billion dollars but most of that is in stocks of his companies not actual money. This is also ignoring how rich people bought off politicians to ensure large tax breaks for themselves and their friends. There was far more inequality back then than now So no unions do nothing good

[@sem_identitificador]

The answer is symple: neoliberalism, for both questions

[@night6724]

Unions were corrupt that’s the answer

[@kyrerymmukk7446]

No. Wrong. Good try. Why did unions start to decline? Regan, obviously. Why did they continue to decline? Conservative elite ideals (and tactics) pushed into the markets by regressive employers. Duh.

[@sem_identitificador]

@@kyrerymmukk7446 bruhhh Reagan was the most neoliberal president of the USA, basically the american margaret thatcher. And waht you call "conservative elite ideals (and tactics) pushed into the markets by regressive employers" is neoliberalism in another words. Now the union moviment is having comeback because people have had enough of the neoliberal policies and see no other way of having more rights than unionizing. Neoliberalism is being killed little by little ever since the 2008 market crisis and the Covid-19 pandemic was the nail in the coffin.

[@dimamatat5548]

Neoliberalism came from the books of Friedman, and nothing he said had anything to do with opposijg trade unions. Friedman is gospel to neoliberals

[@sem_identitificador]

@@dimamatat5548 Neoliberalism is not a coherent school of thought and many economic policies and governments such as, Reagan, Pinochet and Thatchet can be attributed to neoliberalism. So, Friedman and the Chicacago School is not the only source of neoliberal thought.

[@Native722]

We need more unions! Call centers

[@PokhrajRoy.]

4:42 All roads to disaster lead to Ronald Reagan. Who’s surprised? Nobody.

[@royalanempire2965]

Freaking Regan

[@CaralynHarmon]

I thought the exact same thing!

[@hermanjean-baptiste3378]

And or Nixon

[@notaname1750]

@@hermanjean-baptiste3378 No or Just And Nixon. They were Big corporations 🐓 pleasers.

[@night6724]

And what does reagan have to do with this?

[@loturzelrestaurant]

IF YOURE INTERESTED: The Best Worker-Struggle and Union Coverage was and still is the Videos of 'Some More News' and 'Second Thought'.

[@howieisbored]

also check out "More Perfect Union" for more on the ground reporting.

[@loturzelrestaurant]

@@howieisbored Ok!

[@RohanDhruva]

In addition to the content, this is one of the best produced/edited videos on this channel! I *loved* the "personal touches" showing the editing process, the zoom goofup, etc. Keep it up, looking forward to more like this!

[@isaacmartinez6904]

The only times I heard about unions were the Amazon Staten Island union and Ronald Reagan firing the union strikers.

[@loturzelrestaurant]

IF YOURE INTERESTED: The Best Worker-Struggle and Union Coverage was and still is the Videos of 'Some More News' and 'Second Thought'.

[@night6724]

Reagan didn’t fire union strikers he disbanded one public sector union that was breaking the law and holding the country hostage during the holidays

[@kermitfrog593]

Jesus was pro union.

[@Lavabug]

@@kermitfrog593 no, he was pro slavery

[@BombOmbBuddy]

Love this style of video! Hope more questions come in to make this format work!

[@cinaminlee]

What ever happened to those great labor struggle movies like "NORMA RAE" ? My anti-union relative couldn't believe it when I said, the United States was founded on the notion of our collective rights to Unionize and how they made life better; "We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."

[@curious-relics]

In case you're an office/knowledge worker: yes, you need a union too. If you are any sort of an employee, you need a union. You are not special and you are not indispensable just because you can code or do some engineering - in the end, you are still a worker and you will be exploited as much as the workers at Amazon or Starbucks.

[@lorissupportguides]

No software developers don't. A union is there so you can create the threat of leaving. 1 guy is replaceable 10000 aren't. Software developers can leave get paid more and is not easily replaceable

[@curious-relics]

​@@lorissupportguides Oh they are quite replaceable, utilizing offshoring and the h1b visa program. And just because you can get a new job easily does not mean you wont be exploited.

[@night6724]

Oh please your don’t know what exploitation is. Unions are the ones that exploit the people

[@night6724]

@@curious-relics unions are a money laundering scheme

[@Silk_WD]

I'm a software engineer in a union. There are many benefits, but the main part for me is that a big part of swedish workplace conditions are not set by politicians. Instead they are a result of negotiations between employer organisations and the unions. This includes wages (Sweden have no minimum wage law). This setup is only possible with strong unions.

[@danielsander9997]

There needs to be more unions for fast food workers

[@chefwel1]

Good luck with that. I work in food, at a university. They union where I work has lead to constant call-outs, other union staff hating their jobs because everyday is a struggle. There are days when all the staff don't show up, and nothing happens. All... Or when someone takes 3hours to cut 20 peppers and when the manager says hurry up, the union says you can't tell them to hurry up.

[@macgobhann8712]

@@chefwel1 Yeah that isn't real.

[@night6724]

What are the merits for unions?

[@chefwel1]

@@macgobhann8712 it's very real my friend. Maybe it depends on the workplace, but in my experience, the longer the union stays in a company, the more power they have. the more they abuse the power they have and the more their members abuse the systems and each other. They can be good, they can also be bad. That's all I'm saying.

[@baseballchamp179]

Im loving the “bold and brash” paintings behind Cameron 😎👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻

[@LeBonkJordan]

MORE LIKE, "BELONGS IN THE TRASH"

[@Thebreakdownshow1]

It is absolutely necessary as a society unionized against the 1%. Especially for the people who work on low paying jobs

[@khalilahd.]

Exactly

[@madat5843]

Dude just subscribed keep it up.

[@legolaschelsea]

And then 1% hire some bunch of techies and software engineers and now all these low grade jobs are now automated. Good luck with that.

[@night6724]

What are the merits of unions?

[@RaveYoda]

@@night6724 Generally better pay and bargaining power. As is, employees have little power and even less legal options given arbitration contracts, etc.

[@jerlinej3516]

From my brief experience in hospitality it seems that working in a unionized hotel is HIGHLY desired and when anyone admits that they work in a non-unionized hotel there are always sighs of pity lol. All I know is that they can pay up to $20 more than a non-unionized hotel. Exactly how this works I have no idea but this alone makes the word "union" way more attractive.

[@rkontna]

Think of yourself as what's being sold, your labor, the higher ups have an idea of what value you bring. Unions will fight to make sure your paid closer to what the higher ups think so that the higher ups just don't end up with extra cash by ripping you off. It's easier when you think about a trade. So I'm an electrician in a Union I worked non-union in my boss would get paid $160 an hour for me to go to that job for an hour. I got $25 dollars an hour. Everything else was his profit. I'm in a union now and I make $53 an hour, the employer also has to pay for my retirement fund and healthcare so it's really closer to 100 an hour. See now my boss makes $60 to do nothing vs non union my boss made $135 to do nothing so I'm getting my fair share to the actual value I provide for my company

[@kaitlyn__L]

@@rkontna this is a fantastic example with concrete numbers, demonstrating exactly what people mean by various political jargon. Bravo!

[@a.barker7792]

Unions need to sign up hospitals labor force. Nurses need protection.

[@Ninjaeule97]

In Germany it's illegal for a employer to prevent the formation of a union or a workers committee. Of course that doesn't prevent companies from trying to do so anyway, but at least you have to option of legal recourse.

[@Ninjaeule97]

@Samuel Dogara?

[@pyrotechnic96]

"The share of workers who belong to a labor union, like I do..." Big shoutout to Jon Bois.

[@OfficialDanielSilvas]

In the USA, specifically California, in construction industry, a lot of Union construction companies, lose contracts and jobs, to construction companies that are “Out of state” “Non-Union” companies. So it’s always hard to find work as a “Union Member” and it’s easier to find work as a “Non-Union Member”

[@Discoursivist]

I'm just stunned that they never mentioned the Taft-Hartley Act of 1947. That bill is the clearest and most significant cause of the union decline.

[@MikePerf0]

We have to be careful with international union stats. Laws are different in Europe. In Canada, union are mandatory in public services such as Health. This aspect have a huge influence on union data. Thank you

[@lxix_lxix]

I haven't watched all the way through but i just wanted to say, Cameron: your taste in art is spectacular. I see you have not one but TWO paintings of Bold and Brash. Truly a person who admires the greats....

[@jrbqto]

I've been apart of a union for almost all of my working life. There has been moments, some that were very significant where I was very upset with my union, so much so that I contemplated on revoking my dues. Even tho I felt like that, I wouldn't pull my dues and I stand with my union. Because I know my wages and benefits wouldn't be nearly as good as it is without them. You hear a lot of bad things about unions, and some of it might be true but the pros will almost always outweigh the cons. Solidarity Brothers and Sisters!

[@that_brando_]

Thanks for making this video! As an organizer in Canada I think we still need to increase our private sector unionization rates.

[@night6724]

What merits are there to unions?

[@RemyISnow]

I pay $64/month in dues, and can barely afford to fill up my gas tank. Please enlighten me why I am paying this much for a 2% raise a year.

[@sunlynnhatchett3983]

Unions started in the age of monopolies, makes sense that they're returning with these monopolies.

[@night6724]

No they didn’t. And unions are literal monopolies

[@sunlynnhatchett3983]

@@night6724 How are unions monopolies, they defend workers' rights from monopolies. Also, I can't help but notice that monopolies in the 1800's tried to outlaw unions and strikes, meaning unions and strikes existed then.

[@night6724]

@@sunlynnhatchett3983 The vast majority of major unions are monopolies by their nature. And no companies ever tried to outlaw unions. Companies loved unions then because they could be corrupted and bought off

[@night6724]

@@sunlynnhatchett3983 think of it like this. What do you call an institution that exclusively controls a highly sought after thing that can easily be priced at any arbitrary price since they are the sole holder of it? Also if monopolies really are that dangerous to consumers how exactly do de facto monopolies like soda stay low cost? Like let’s be real coke stands head and shoulders above all other competition and yet coke is insanely cheap

[@sunlynnhatchett3983]

@@night6724 Your first point is highly arguable, but I will not say it is without reason. Your second point though, has quite clear faults. There are laws against these competitive pricing regulations, as there are laws against monopolistic. However, the United States, where many of these businesses are based in, is a country of the elites. It is a mistake to call it a democracy, in can be easily seen that the interests of business may outweigh the interests of the masses in congress, especially when a large portion of the American congress has fortunes which they can protect through the law. The biggest flaw in your second point though, is that your logic in defense of modern monopolies and in offense of modern workers' unions has just about nothing to do with the incorrect point you first noted in this comment-thread, that unions were nonexistant during the days of Standard Oil or Union Pacific.

[@nathanngumi8467]

Very interesting history! This format is also great, where a subscriber asks a question and you answer it!

[@danpeterson5054]

I love this question and answer format!

[@napoleonibonaparte7198]

In the Nordics and Germany, it is a must to have a union, I believe.

[@victor_venema]

Not in Germany.

[@jan-lukas]

You have to give the option here in Germany, but small businesses won't have one for example

[@victorfisker5246]

Not in scandinavia neither...

[@ericwright8592]

Companies even push anti-union rhetoric into the hiring process. When I was a teenager I interviewed for a job at Lowes home improvement and during the interview they had a Question & Answer section on a computer related to unionizing. They didn't outright say "unions are illegal" they definitely made it seem that way and made it clear that any speak of organization or discussion of pay/benefits with other employees was strictly forbidden.

[@myronmason8170]

Having this during the interview/hiring process is illegal. You have a right to discuss pay and benefits with your co-workers and the right to start a union!

[@night6724]

What are the merits of unions?

[@thetohoapologist4240]

@@night6724 one employee is much less powerful than hundreds of thousands of unionized workers

[@greghuffman3061]

It brings a tear to my eye every time i see a union in modern society. Whenever i drive by road construction, and see 2 other guys watching 1 guy work, i say god bless america and salute that man. And since he isnt in any rush to finish his job, he salutes me back then goes on break.

[@garoria4161]

Dear Vox Team, again a very high quality produced video. And for free, thank you. The scene changes between the real interview scenes and the animations create a drive that makes you stay tuned. All the work the editor did was worth it.

[@pluribus_unum]

Reagan and Republicans played the major role in smashing the unions over 60 years. "But Republican politicians and the libertarian-dominated conservative intelligentsia for the most part oppose the very existence of organized labor. Even though Trump won the electoral college in 2016 thanks largely to unionized workers in the industrial Midwest, the 2016 Republican platform declared: “We support the right of states to enact Right-to-Work laws and call for a national law to protect the economic liberty of the modern workforce.”" If you support unions, there is only one major party that has your back; the Democrats.

[@swedishgrizzly6506]

Fun fact in Sweden instead of having a minimum wage Facket (The unions) chose the wages

[@kullingen6909]

Similar to Norway.

[@Nomen_Nescio_YT]

@@kullingen6909 also in Italy with its "national contracts"

[@victor_venema]

It used to be this way in Germany, but unions are no longer strong enough and there is now a federal minimum wage.

[@TheLobstah]

What about Right-to-Work Laws and how they undermine unions?

[@IanZainea1990]

Great overview for sure. Glad to see this!

[@JaffeCakeINC]

It is also important to recognize that the US Treasury under Volcker in the '80s purposefully caused an unemployment crises by radically increasing interest rates, which lead to more layoffs, to push down the bargaining power of unions. It's known as the "Volcker Shock". It also caused economic crises in Latin America as Latin American governments found themselves unable to pay off their debts due to the higher interest rates. It was a deliberate effort by the Treasury to curb inflation by forcing unions to accept concessions in terms of wages, benefits, factory locations, etc. That being said, you can probably trace some of the initial declines of unionism back to the 40s and 50s. The Taft-Hartley Act (which limited forms of union direct action), Red Scare (which reduced the radicalism of unions and made them more complacent), and the Treaty of Detroit (which delinated that unions must negoiate at a company-wide level and that striking must be authorized by the union head lead to the centralization of power within the union and reduced local rank-and-file millitancy) are some of the primary reasons behind the defanging of unions.

[@memetrashcan9613]

People have had enough with late stage capitalism.

[@post-leftluddite]

Trade Unionism needs to end in favor of mass unionization, the idea of a single union across many trades that can unify workers from different industries, and all in service of working toward a mass, general strike. For example, could you imagine if sanitation workers and hospital workers alone could call a general strike on a national level, let alone one that also involved transit workers in private business and public services? It would bring daily life to a standstill in days, if not sooner, and the power dynamics would be altered forever

[@ansar714]

There is no one single trade union.There are many and they all have different collective bargaining agreements.

[@forzainter72]

a work around for that in the short term in the hostile capitalist institutional environment we live in is having unions coordinate to have their contracts expire at the same time to enhance their structural bargaining position. UNITE HERE did that with the nationwide Marriott strikes in 2018. Would be effective down supply chains in different industries, say for example truck workers, longshore workers, warehouse workers and supermarket workers all threatening strike action at the same time.

[@somecuriosities]

Q. How do you unionise when the system is stacked against you?

[@rheiagreenland4714]

Dual power.

[@Lavabug]

The secret ingredient is crime.

[@Zestric]

Why do unions in the US have to be "created" by the workers in every single store/factory/whatever when in every other country I know of it's just one (or sometimes two or three) union that represents an entire business sector regardless of what company you work for? Like say you are a metalworker at steel plates inc. you wouldn't have to create the steel plates inc. workers union you would just join the countries metalworkers union. Did the US have that before or was it always this fragmented?

[@myronmason8170]

There were/are unions that represent many industries and have local chapters, but not all professions have this and thus a new union must be created. Also, even if one exists, workers at a business still have to create local union that then must join the bigger unions. We need to support the idea that the IWW has and make "One Big Union" that represents all workers no matter their profession.

[@danielkelly2210]

The US never had a situation like, say, Germany, where an entire industry is covered by a union. Taking the steelworkers' union as an example, if every steel plant in an area is unionized but a company came in and opened a new one, the new plant is not automatically covered as a union operation. The workers there have to hold an election and have their union recognized.

[@Tutel0093]

Ah yes, Americans frozen in fear of socialism

[@WillyWally40]

Socialism is pretty scary

[@franvutmej5974]

and you are from?

[@Tutel0093]

@@franvutmej5974 first world country

[@bigshotaviation8570]

@@Tutel0093 america is a first world country stop with this nonsense

[@Tutel0093]

@@bigshotaviation8570 sure why not If that helps you sleep at night

[@KevinContreras2013]

I gotta say, I super love the editing for this video!

[@hbt5427]

We need A LOT more Unions!!!

[@steffo4296]

No

[@rheiagreenland4714]

@@steffo4296 Yes.

[@CaribouColleen]

I was part of an effort to try and unionize a national non profit last year. This non profit was founded by a billionaire with a very famous brother. In response the organization restructured, stopped all in person services, and eliminated the positions for people who were unionizing. It was a huge betrayal to the people we served and very disappointing. The NLRB ruled this was illegal but the case is still open.

[@night6724]

Great likes for being a cancer of society by supporting corrupt mafias

[@carolyn3172]

Yes, unions cost companies a lot of money,. Yes, companies should be paying a fair wage, but a fair wage isn't always a high wage. Unions often unfairly force companies to pay ridiculous wages to unskilled labour, driving up costs and discouraging hiring. Yet companies are vilified for being anti-union.

[@TexasRiverRat31254]

I'm a retired union pipefitter/welder that spent a third of my years in the non union sector before joining. If I hadn't I'd most likely still be struggling to put my work boots at 68 on and hobble to work as the non union contractors make sure you have a "break in service" so you never get the minimum time it takes IF they offer a pension at all. I have two and without them I'd never come close to paying living expenses on social security alone. It's not perfect and it's no different than the other side in that too often it's not what you know but who you B*OW. But it was worth it. "Good old boys" rule everywhere.

[@robertcuyjet]

I really liked this video and its style! Thanks for another great informative video Vox!

[@ryerye9019]

In the American two party system, one party is aggressively anti-union and the other party is neutral (saying nice things while doing nothing). Economic power translates into economic power in the US, so the working class is trapped in a state of powerlessness. Thomas Frank, a populist historian, charts the political decline of working class in the US as essentially classism and an abandonment by the American intellectuals and white collar professionals. When the upper middle class joins a working class party, they reorient the party towards their own self interest with the result being: falling minimum wages, astronomical prices for healthcare, legal services, and higher education, lack of support for trades jobs, financialization of the economy, and onerous regulations, credentialism, and barriers entry into the market. Corporations and political parties are essentially upper class unions and the only game in town.

[@GTAVictor9128]

And by extension, one party is far-right while the other is centrist (arguably centre-right), which when combined with the instilled fear of socialism, explains why the US has basically no social safety nets compared to other countries.

[@night6724]

What are the benefits to unions exactly?

[@night6724]

Unions are corrupt money laundering schemes

[@Valery0p5]

"sindacati" are everywhere in Italy (and "strikes" are even too common and institutionalized) so it's always weird to see how other countries' workers don't always have the same rights...

[@mxmissy]

Unions are so huge here in Australia. And whenever I hear stories about unions and how scared CEOs are of unions and anything related, I'm just so... shocked almost. Like, why?

[@night6724]

Because Australian unions are a money laundering scheme.

[@gesudinazaret9259]

Loosing profits

[@kaitlyn__L]

@@gesudinazaret9259 exactly. Convince people unions are bad for them and then you can make more profits and reinvest less in the company. Win win for every shareholder and board member.

[@nelyrions1838]

Having Unions is so unamerican. Economies are run on human suffering. Unions reduce the suffering, meaning we loose money.

[@loturzelrestaurant]

IF YOURE INTERESTED: The Best Worker-Struggle and Union Coverage was and still is the Videos of 'Some More News' and 'Second Thought'.

[@eveeehr]

Fun fact - the reason why Australia has the highest minimum pay is due to strong union membership (although it is declining), and that our Australian Labor Party (currently in government after a decade) is funded mostly by unions. Since the election in May, our minimum wage has already increased. Join your union!

[@ericosagie3046]

Same case in Sweden. High unionization is good for all countries

[@PHlophe]

Evie, but this ain't about OZ though.

[@fresnobiggledrum537]

@@PHlophe One of the questions offered in the video was what union density looked like in other countries, to compare to the US.

[@Coolsomeone234]

Labor isn't exactly funded solely by the Unions anymore

[@night6724]

Australia is a dictatorship

[@NotKimiRaikkonen]

Good! They served their purpose. Today they no longer justify their cost and bureaucracy.

[@theinternetbutler]

You must be a business owner or manager.

[@andriod8014]

So strange seeing them upload this when Vox media recently had problems with their union

[@KiheiVillages]

impressive research. Research means to search again. You certainly searched over and over! To the nth degree. Bravo!

[@MathieuRouland]

the editor/motion graphic designer needs a raise !

[@DS-bz4mz]

Very interesting vid, maybe you could make it into a series for other countries too (eg. G7 countries cause obviously it's not feasible to do literally every country)?

[@khalilahd.]

Yes! That’s a great idea!

[@oaxtec765]

Or maybe like the g13, because has the big g8 economic powerhouses plus the leading developing nations

[@DS-bz4mz]

@Aka Aka Obviously I'd love to learn something about every country, but a) it's not feasible and b) VOX is a company so they also need to take into account whether a video generates clicks - and unfortunately Ivory Coast or Myanmar don't generate anywhere close to let's say Japan or Germany. If their accountants and researchers decide to do more countries, more power to them

[@DS-bz4mz]

@Aka Aka When did I say anything excluding them? Can't you read?

[@hvnspwn]

This video is so cool. I've never been part of a union. I wish I were. I learned a lot and I'm grateful.

[@night6724]

And what are the merits of a union?

[@edoardo7311]

The fall of onions...

[@danielfarrellmusic]

I love your videos but can you please do audio work with the guest segments. they're always at a drastically different volume level than the narration. I love the professional visual presentation on these, but the audio is always so lacking. (totally open to helping you all)

[@BriefNerdOriginal]

In Switzerland, the first days of my work as a federal employee, I was prompted with the possibility of joining a union, which I did. It's normal in Europe, I argue, and workers protection is a civil right. It's sad seeing how the self-proclaimed defensor of democracy, the USA, struggles with such basic notions and rules.

[@brendenhunt2026]

I live in Canada. Wish we had fewer unions. Excessive demands just drive labour to other markets and prevent competitive advantage in areas like automation

[@cyberrasputen1718]

Here’s the problem. Large companies like the Macys Fulfillment Centers, and even ship yards like General Dynamic Electric make a concerted effort to scare workers from joining unions. At Macy’s Fulfillment Center, about 50 of us new hires in the room watched an orientation video where they were telling us how unions are against our best interest and said that they were bad. Also, I was an at interview with General Dynamic Electric Boat which makes submarines and they told me that I would be hired on as a Level III technician, but if I joined a union, I would be a Level II technician and I would not be allowed to move to a different department if I joined the union. These companies are definitely trying to scare workers off and make them think that unions are the bad guys who want to control everything you do and keep you from making money. If this isn’t illegal then it should be. But there is a reason less people are interested in unions. They are not educated on it and they’re hearing from companies that you will be isolated and punished for joining them basically. That is the feeling that I walked away with at both of these places. But it did feel very wrong at the time and I could tell that they were trying to manipulate me. I did not accept either job because of that. A company has to be shady to prevent you from joining a union which may be the only thing serving your best interest. I have heard a lot from Macy’s factory workers about the pressure and bad conditions their workers are pushed to complete in a very short time frame. You’re also never allowed to be sick or have emergencies. If you’re injured they will also try everything in their power to keep you from going to a real doctor. They have their own nurses and I was told by one nurse that it was her job to keep you in the infirmary and get you back to work unless there is absolutely no other option. One worker was sat inside the infirmary there and was left alone for 6 hours after injuring their spine by having a packing fall on top of them, which he tried to catch. Companies are racking up billions and need to be held accountable. But workers need to be educated about unions.

[@YasinNabi]

A wonderful channel and great contents, I enjoyed watching most of your videos, thanks for sharing. ;'';;'

[@PremierCCGuyMMXVI]

I like how people claim the US is the best nation on Earth yet the most basic rights that are active in other developed countries isn’t present in the United States. We have a lot of work to do to make America better

[@joey8033]

It's sad because even developing countries that we criticized have unions everywhere. I lived in Nigeria and my dad was a union leader in his work place (a federal government owned workplace), and even the government (via the workplace) sponsors their workers for union training my dad is a certified union leader with legal rights to bear the title "comrade" (I'm serious lol) everyone was in the unions, even unions form unions, his workplace union even formed a nation wide union of federal government workers in engineering and still formed another for senior government officials (nationwide, state wide, region wide), even dry cleaners have a union and I mean citywide unions, academic staffs and employees have nationwide unions infact there's a nationwide government university strike on going (for months now) demanding that the government increases their wages, america is supposed to be a "democratic" and "developed" country right? Why is it so scared of unions? I'm confused

[@Thebreakdownshow1]

I had a simlar growing up in INDIA I was recently doing some research for my channel on this subject. Never ended up making the video but, the main reason is capitalism and how it ties into lobbying. A lot of these companies sponsor politicians and in return, the politicians over time pushed back on unionization. All of this is done to ensure the workers don't have as much power as they would if they were unionized.

[@joey8033]

@@Thebreakdownshow1 exactly, you are right, I once watched a video about how much likely a law is to be pass if the people wanted it and it was a bare 30% in the US, lobbying needs to be made illegal before america can prosper

[@kaitlyn__L]

The USA was founded on a fundamental contradiction, which you have correctly identified an example of at the end of your comment! The articles of confederation had workplace democracy and township democracy etc, and lots of people liked it, but the wealthy landowners (the founding fathers) didn’t like it and replaced it with the current system. Even though their rhetoric didn’t change. Despite its highly fractal federal structures, the USA has some of the least diffuse power across its populace, because the only democratic systems which are allowed are the ones which are encumbered by veto and delay opportunities. Direct participatory democracy like unions are frowned-upon as being too radical and disruptive, and lots of employers tell their employees they’ll actually be worse off in a union than out of one. Now that’s often true, but what they don’t tell them is it’s only true because they fire anyone trying to unionise (as discussed in this video, ostensibly for a different reason, but substantively due to unionising efforts). Now, that sounds an awful lot like suppressing democracy to ensure the wealthy and powerful aren’t challenged, which in any other country would be talked about terribly by Americans. But everyone who grew up immersed in it is just like “oh yeah, you don’t want the average guy to get too powerful!” (Accidentally posted as a reply instead of just a comment on your comment the first time.)

[@joey8033]

@@kaitlyn__L thank you for your comment. You're right about the part where people who grew up in the society, I noticed it alot about americans there's alot about "how life should be" they don't know. From healthcare to personal finance. And I think that's the way forward, educating americans on how it could be better and how it's wrong. Again, thanks for your comment

[@erandro]

Not related to the content, but the editing of this video is really good.

[@dexterosity]

I love how Vox can present anything so complex so beautifully. This is awesome.

[@simplelogic9090]

It's very easy to do so when you leave out literally 20 minutes of context.

[@azzureone78]

Always been union, always will be.

[@bumblebee582]

More Union videos!!

[@lz6594]

The man just asked a million-dollar question. I just hope more people would think about this

[@davis3909]

yall should do the rise and fall (and possibly rise again?) of America's domestic manufacturing industry

[@RebeccaWhite30]

There’s so much more history to unions! Can you do a video on the original unions? The racists policies and how there were 3 types but only one stuck? There used to be a union like the UK.

[@liamm9962]

Solidarity for-ever, solidarity for-ever, solidarity for-ever, the union makes us strong

[@noigunason8137]

It’s so interesting to see how abnormal unions are in many sectors in the US. In Iceland, most people in all kinds of jobs are in unions. There are also more laws regarding unions than any other single thing in Icelandic law, and they have a lot of power against employers.

[@ddukes94]

As a Unionized worker it makes me glad to see Americans are starting to get better organized.