Today the House votes on Protecting the Right to Organize Act #PROAct, the first major legislation aimed at expanding the ability of unions to organize workers in 10 years. @coreyhusak and I look a the research for this new @equitablegrowth fact sheet 1/9 equitablegrowth.org/factsheet-the-…
Unions are a counterweight to the forces that cause economic inequality. Research by Farber, @djh1202, @ikuziemko and @snaidunl uses new historical data to show a nearly-perfect inverse relationship between union density and income inequality. 2/9 nber.org/papers/w24587
In particular, #monopsony gives employers the power to exploit their workers. Research by @MarkVinPaul and Stelzner shows how government institutional support for collective action is critical for the ability of unions to address economic inequality. 3/9 equitablegrowth.org/working-papers…
And most workers want a union! Research from @awh , Kimball and @TomKochan surveys workers and finds that they want unions to be able to collectively bargain for them. equitablegrowth.org/working-papers… The #PROAct helps unions organize workers so that they can represent them. 4/9
The #PROAct clarifies that workers have a right to strike protected by the 1st amendment. In this @equitablegrowth column, I argue that strikes are important tools to gaining worker power, but effectiveness and frequency have declined since the 70s. 5/9 equitablegrowth.org/the-once-and-f…
After #RedForEd swept the nation in 2018, workers who were exposed to strikes were more supportive of their use as a tool for collective action, as shown in survey research by @awh, @snaidunl and Reich. 6/9 equitablegrowth.org/working-papers…
The #PROAct also cracks down on employers who abuse the "fissured workplace" by misclassifying workers, which has allowed companies to outsource parts of their business while maintaining control and leading to lower wages. 7/9 equitablegrowth.org/how-u-s-compan…
And the #PROAct holds corporations jointly responsible for labor practices at their franchises. Research by @brian_callaci shows that these business models harm workers and they need to be held accountable. 8/9 equitablegrowth.org/new-research-s…
This is just *some* of the research on how unions & effective labor law play a crucial role in rebalancing power for equitable growth. Calls are getting louder for policies that foster a vibrant labor movement, like @WorkerPowerLaw. #PROAct is a start. 9/9 equitablegrowth.org/clean-slate-fo…
