Inequality and trade unions: lessons from the US

[Omaha Steve]

http://strongerunions.org/2014/01/04/inequality-and-trade-unions-lessons-from-the-us/

Owen Tudor

US President Obama made a speech before Christmas in which he described tackling inequality as “the defining challenge of our time.” New York’s newly elected Democrat Mayor Bill de Blasio (the first Democrat Mayor of the city for 20 years) said the same in his inaugural speech on New Year’s Day, describing the challenge as “the inequality crisis.”

Of course, unions and academics have been drawing attention to inequality for years, but the fact that political leaders are now saying the same is significant. Obama’s speech in particular will have a familiar ring, echoing the AFLCIO argument that inequality has been growing in the US since the 1970s. But what is really new is that the President of the US repeats the union argument that legal constraints on collective bargaining are a key reason for growing inequality, and need to be reversed:

“The third part of this middle-class economics is empowering our workers. It’s time to ensure our collective bargaining laws function as they’re supposed to – so unions have a level playing field to organize for a better deal for workers and better wages for the middle class.”

That focus on the role free trade unions and collective bargaining can play in redressing growing inequality – and tackling wider economic problems too – is new, and needs to be imported from US political discourse to the UK.

Owen Tudor

I’ve been the Head of the TUC’s European Union and International Relations Department since 2003 and have worked at the TUC since 1984. I’ve been a member of the Health and Safety Commission, the Civil Justice Council, the Social Security Advisory Committee and the Industrial Injuries Advisory Council and now I’m on the Wilton Park Advisory Council. I’m particularly interested in the trade union movements of Australia, Iran and Iraq, the Middle East and the USA, and I’m interested in migration, trade, and building trade union capacity. I’m the Secretary of TUC Aid, the TUC’s charitable union development arm and on the Robin Hood Tax campaign steering committee.

My wife Sarah works in education on development and external affairs and my son Charles is training to be a cook. I’m a season ticket holder at Saracens, and a member of the Wine Society and the GMB. I also contribute to the Touchstone blog.

http://www.tuc.org.uk/international

[pampango]

1. "...legal constraints on collective bargaining are a key reason for growing inequality ..."

How true.

BTW, the link did not work for me. Thanks for the post, Omaha Steve.