logo
episode-header-image
Feb 2023
18m 45s

Unionising the US workforce

Bbc World Service
About this episode

There has been a surge in the number of workplaces in the United States voting to join a labour union. Amid this wave of unionisation, companies are pushing back hard. We find out what is happening in the US and how businesses and politicians are reacting.

We hear from a worker at outdoor clothing co-operative REI where staff have voted to unionise, plus Michelle Miller, who runs Co-worker, an organisation that supports employees who want union representation. Michael Strain, an economist at the centre-right policy organisation, the American Enterprise Institute, explains that workers are actually doing quite well at the moment as unemployment is low. And have you heard of union-busting? Rebecca Givan is an associate professor of Labor Studies and Employment Relations at Rutgers University in New Jersey - she explains what is happening.

Producer/presenter: Rob Young

(Photo: Workers on strike from the New York Times. Credit: Getty Images)

Up next
Today
Monetising Machu Picchu
<p>Peru is home to Machu Picchu - the ancient Inca city in the Andes mountains. </p><p>It's one of the seven wonders of the world, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The popular tourist destination attracts millions of visitors, making it very lucrative for the government, local a ... Show More
17m 38s
Nov 21
What happens when the aid money runs out?
<p>In the second of our two-part series on tightening aid budgets, Sam Fenwick explores what shrinking donor support means for global health — from the sudden halt to major US-funded projects, to the pressure on low-income countries to increase their own health spending.</p><p>As ... Show More
17m 30s
Nov 20
What's next for USAID funded projects?
<p>We examine the fallout from the cuts to US foreign aid.</p><p>We meet projects in Rwanda and Nepal that were close to shutting down - and hear the story of a mystery donor who stepped in to keep them going. </p><p>But how long will the support last? </p><p>Presented and produ ... Show More
17m 28s
Recommended Episodes
Jun 2022
Why Unions are Making a Comeback
The Amazon Labor Union made history when it won its election at the JFK8 facility in Staten Island — but they aren’t the only ones organizing. Petitions to form unions were up nearly sixty percent between October 2021 and March 2022! What does it take to form a union, and what do ... Show More
27m 49s
Jul 2022
How the Unionization Trend is Changing Workplace Dynamics
For years, union membership has been shrinking in the United States and many other countries. But recently we've seen a resurgence, with employees in sectors like retail, hospitality, and media organizing to collectively bargain for better pay, benefits, and job flexibility. Thom ... Show More
33m 18s
Apr 2022
Are workers back in the driving seat?
Workers at an Amazon warehouse in New York have successfully set up Amazon's first ever union in the country. Staff at dozens of other US locations are said to be interested in unionising as well. There are signs workers are now increasingly in the driving seat. The pandemic has ... Show More
49m 4s
Oct 2023
How unions are stopped before they start
Union membership in the U.S. has been declining for decades. But, in 2022, support for unions among Americans was the highest it's been in decades. This dissonance is due, in part, to the difficulties of one important phase in the life cycle of a union: setting up a union in the ... Show More
27m 41s
Apr 2024
How Unions Won The South
<p>Employees of a Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee just voted to form the FIRST autoworkers union in the Southern US. It’s no small feat in a part of the country that has been <i>notoriously</i> anti-union. How has the South managed to scare away organized labor since t ... Show More
32m 11s
Sep 2023
États-Unis: en 2023, les salariés et syndicats américains se réveillent
Aux États-Unis, après l’été animé par la grève de Hollywood, c’est l’automne qui promet d’être chaud sur le front social. 2023 est déjà une année bénéfique à la cause des salariés américains. La grève du cinéma assure le spectacle depuis quatre mois. Elle est déjà plus longue que ... Show More
4m 29s
Feb 2023
The New State of Unions
Do new unions need “Big Labor”? There is a new generation of labor organizers in the United States: baristas, warehouse workers, and grocers. They are organizing shop-by-shop and relying less on traditional big labor unions. Audie talks with longtime labor activist Erica Smiley, ... Show More
29m 24s