Changing demographics and the impact on trade unions

1
Changing demographics and the impact on trade
unions

• Blue Cross Blue Shield Labor Management
  Conference
• February 23, 2006
• Kate Bronfenbrenner

2
Labors challenge

• Increasingly hostile political, economic, and
  legal climate for organizing
• Decline in union density, bargaining power, and
  national union unity
• Increased sophistication and intensity of
  employer anti-union campaigns
• Increased globalization of capital and
  outsourcing leading to global race to the bottom
  in wages, working conditions, living standards,
  and de-unionization

3
Extent and impact of employer opposition in the
private sector
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Extent of employer opposition

• 92 hold captive audience meetings
• 67 hold supervisory 1on1s at least weekly
• 25 fire workers for union activity
• 51 threatened to close all or part of operations
• 48 made promises of improvement
• 34 offered bribes and special favors
• 31 assisted anti-union committee
• 20 granted unscheduled wage increases
• 10 used electronic surveillance
• 55 used anti-union videos

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Swimming against the tide

• Despite all this, women, workers of color,
  immigrants, and especially women of color, have
  been organizing in nearly every sector and
  occupation, and against great odds
• Which has resulted in rapidly changing
  demographics in US labor movement

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Gender, race, and union membership in selected
industries
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Differences in union membership by occupation
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Percent women in unit, NLRB election activity,
and election outcome
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NLRB Elections by industry 1999-2003
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NLRB Elections by unit 1999-2003
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Percent of private sector card check gains by
sector 1999-2003
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RLA campaigns 1999-2003
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Public sector campaigns by division 1999-2003
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Demographics of workers organized under NLRB
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Gender and race homogeneity and NLRB election
outcome
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Public sector election units 1999-2003
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Types of bargaining units where women and workers
of color predominate

• Male workers are much more concentrated in higher
  wage, production and maintenance units in large,
  more global, manufacturing companies.
• African-American and recent immigrants are
  concentrated in some of the most mobile
  manufacturing industries such as food processing
  and auto parts
• Female workers are much more concentrated in
  lower wage jobs in the service sector where
  companies are much more likely to be entirely
  US-based and either nonprofits or publicly held
  for profits and in professional and support staff
  positions in public education. Workers of color
  are also more likely to be found in public
  education.
• Still, a significant portion of units with 50
  percent to 74 percent women remain in
  multinationals (43 percent), for-profit companies
  (74 percent), and production and maintenance
  units (35 percent).
• Women also dominate in fast growing sector of
  wireless workers in communications and IT

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Win rates where women predominate

• In the private sector win rates average highest
  in units where women predominate even in the most
  difficult units to organize including
• Production and maintenance units (56)
• Professional, technical, and clerical units (70)
• Multinational companies (67)
• Privately held companies (61)
• Workers average more than 12 an hour (54)
• Aggressive employer anti-union campaigns (46)

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What works?

• Which strategies?
• Which sectors?
• Which workers?
• What outcomes?

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Elements of a comprehensive union-building
strategy

• Adequate and appropriate staff and financial
  resources
• Strategic targeting and research
• Active and representative rank-and-file committee
• Active participation of member volunteer
  organizers
• Person-to-person contact inside and outside the
  workplace
• Benchmarks and assessments
• Issues which resonate in the workplace and
  community
• Creative, escalating internal pressure tactics
• Creative, escalating external pressure tactics
• Building for the first contract during the
  organizing campaign

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Win rates in campaigns using and not using
comprehensive organizing tactics
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Number of comprehensive tactics and win rates
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Unit characteristics, comprehensive organizing
tactics, and election outcome
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Comprehensive organizing tactics and election
outcome by sector
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Comprehensive organizing tactics and intensity of
employer campaigns
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Comprehensive campaigns and first contract outcome
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Conclusion

• Majority of new workers being organized women and
  workers of color in both public and private
  sector
• Organizing despite intensive employer opposition
  and in the context of campaigns where they must
  take play extensive leadership roles
• Soon to be new majority with leadership and
  organizing skills expecting a seat at the table,
  and voice in the union with interests and issues
  very different than current primarily white male
  leaders
• Your challenge will be to respond to those
  concerns and interests as they come to the fore