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  • 8 - The Rise and Decline of Organized Labor in the United States

  • from Part II - What Has Changed?
  • Edited by Brian J. Hoffman, University of Georgia, Mindy K. Shoss, University of Central Florida, Lauren A. Wegman, University of Georgia
  • Book:
    The Cambridge Handbook of the Changing Nature of Work
    Published online:
    02 April 2020
    Print publication:
    23 April 2020, pp 173-191

  • Summary

    This chapter analyzes the expansion and collapse of labor union power in the United States from the postwar era to the administration of President Donald Trump. Union membership peaked in the mid-1940s and gradually declined until the early 1980s. It then slipped precipitously over that decade and in 2017 fell to levels not seen for nearly a century. Explanations for the decline include employer opposition, American social and political culture, and technological development. As union membership fell, income inequality rose. Research suggests that the economic condition of middle-class American workers is linked with union membership and collective bargaining. In 2016, white male American workers without college degrees strongly supported Donald Trump’s presidential candidacy, and his policies had a significant impact on them.