ROANOKE. Va. – The labor movement looks a lot different now than it did decades ago.
In the first eight months of 2023, over 323,000 workers walked off the job for better benefits, pay, and working conditions. This summer has been coined “the summer of strikes.”
The screenwriters and actors strike continues to be at the forefront of the entertainment industry with hotel cleaners, Amazon warehouse employees, and food industry workers following in pursuit
Only one in 10 American workers is a union member, down from nearly one in three workers during the 1950s.
10 News Political Analyst, Ed Lynch, said there has been a shift in the mindset of American workers.
“If you believe as a worker, as a working man or woman, that I can get the benefits of that larger voice…better pay, shorter hours, better conditions … without having to pay union dues, without having to obey union rules … then why am I joining the union? What exactly are they offering me that I can’t get on my own,” Lynch said.
Lynch also pointed out that Virginia is a ‘Right to Work’ state, meaning people can join a job without being required to join a union. Virginia is one of 27 states to have the ‘Right to Work’.
However, the summer has shown labor unions can strike deals still. One in particular 10 News covered locally was the agreement between UPS and the labor union Teamsters.
Vice President of Teamsters Local 171, Scott Barry said unions are starting to fight against what he calls ‘corporate greed.’
“Everything is going up. Fuel is going up, electricity, groceries but the wages aren’t going up equally. We’ve had enough. It’s time for us to stand together. Every union should stand with every other union … stand together and fight this,” Barry said.
You can find more information on the state of labor unions in this Bureau of Labor Statistics report.