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8 - Holding On

The Decline of Organized Labor in the USA in Historical Perspective and the Implications for Democracy

from Part II - History, Politics, and Law

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 January 2022

By
Timothy J. Minchin
Edited by
Angela B. Cornell  and
Mark Barenberg
Angela B. Cornell
Affiliation:
Cornell University, New York
Mark Barenberg
Affiliation:
Columbia University, New York
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Summary

Opponents of unions have often portrayed them as a threat to democracy.Rather than speaking for workers, they contend, unions were a “special interest” or “third party” who took away workers’ voices, along with their hard-earned money.Reviewing labor’s post-World War II history – particularly the domestic record of the AFL-CIO since its foundation in 1955 – this chapter shows that unions were not a third party, but an important force for democracy.Throughout the post-World War II era, organized labor provided a voice for all working people, not just its members. Unions were a much-needed watchdog, consistently fighting for safer workplaces, higher pay, and workplace democracy. They also gave a stronger voice to working people in politics – and could bring them into the streets. Despite their imperfections, no other organization performed this role in quite the same way.

Keywords

unionsdemocracyAFL-CIOlabor movementpost-World War II era
Type
Chapter
Information
The Cambridge Handbook of Labor and Democracy , pp. 127 - 144
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2022

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