Americans' support for unions is on the rise, yet antiworker lawmakers have long dominated public discourse, organizing drives, and labor disputes in recent decades. This has undermined workers' confidence that their fights are winnable and that their rights would be respected.
A new issue brief from the Center for American Progress (CAP) explains why pro-worker policymakers should use their platforms to support organizing campaigns and ensure government spending creates union jobs. The brief reviews how public debate has shaped organizing outcomes and encourages pro-worker lawmakers to use public and private rhetoric to ensure workers can exercise their rights free of intimidation. It also features examples of unionization efforts in South Carolina, Georgia, and Tennessee where organizers believe political rhetoric made a difference.
"For decades, antiworker politicians used their bully pulpit to aggressively undermine workers seeking to unionize. As workers across the American economy increasingly fight to unionize, pro-worker policymakers must stand with them, encouraging workers doing the tough work of organizing, pushing back against aggressive anti-union rhetoric used by corporations and antiworker politicians, and championing the spread of best practices," said Karla Walter, senior fellow at CAP and co-author of the issue brief.
The issue brief titled "Public Officials Should Use Their Bully Pulpit To Support Worker Organizing and Bargaining" was authored by Karla Walter and Sachin Shiva.
For more information or to speak with an expert, please contact Sarah Nadeau at [email protected].
