Dec 25, 2009

To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time | Compare and Contrast

1946: The postwar demand for consumer goods gave workers the edge in bargaining for wages: 4.6 million workers held strikes against the manufacturers they worked for, including Westinghouse, General Motors, the meat packers, and the railroads.
1981: 13,000 air traffic controllers went on strike and were fired by President Ronald Reagan, marking the start of a new era of pro-employer “union-busting.”

Today: Labor unions have the lowest membership since the 1940s and, in many cases, have little effect on wages and benefits being offered.