New Unity Partnership

by | Sep 24, 2004 | Uncategorized

Leo Casey over at Labor Blog has an interesting post on the New Unity Partnership (NUP) being promoted by Andy Stern at the SEIU. He questions, rightly, whether the NUP is the answer to labor’s dwindling power and relevance in America (and throughout the “North” as he says). The NUP is not suggesting anything radical other than splitting from unions that don’t share its views on the importance of organizing – and as Leo also rightly points out, many of the NUP members have a questionable record on their commitment to union democracy. My view is instructed by basic economics. Workers today, by and large, do not demand the bundle of “services” offered by unions, certainly not enough to pay for them. There are a number of reasons. Government and plaintiff’s lawyers provide many of these services on an either “free” (not counting taxes of course) or on a “pay as you go” basis. Notwithstanding the hyperbole that spews daily from unions, most companies do a reasonably good job of responding to workplace concerns today (either due to competitive pressures – need to be an employer of choice in the community – or due to fear of being sued). Most employers are not “perfect” in the eyes of the labor movement, and most employers would agree that they can do much more in the area of employee relations. But that is the wrong point of reference. The question is do most workers feel comfortable that their needs and concerns are met in their workplace – and that answer is yes. Where does that leave unions? They have to develop a more compelling bundle of services for employees, something they will demand. The key market opportunities I see are health insurance, day care, and training (think University of Phoenix but only for union members) along with legal representation (think pre-paid legal). Union membership should be portable and not tied necessarily to any particular employer. Relying on the failed model of organizing by employer location and lobbying for additional government protections will continue labor’s slide. Changing the model to one of offering services employees (and employers) demand will not only stop the slide, but will again make labor unions a strong and relevant voice in America.

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