Labor Union Shortage

|
Posted: Aug 31, 2022 12:01 AM

The opinions expressed by columnists are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Townhall.com.

Monday is Labor Day. Will you celebrate unions?The media does. “Unions are cool again,” reports CBS News. They suggest unionization is booming.“Reporters” practically cheered when a Starbucks in Buffalo, New York, became the first Starbucks to unionize. “A big symbolic win for labor,” The New York Times called it.Since then, more than 180 Starbucks voted to unionize, and 300 filed for union elections.Starbucks already offers better benefits than many companies: health benefits, even for part-time workers, free college tuition, maternity leave and more. Their minimum wage is $17/hour. But activists want more.Apple Store employees and Google workers are also starting unionization efforts. In the first half of 2022, union election petitions increased by 57%.They have political support. President Joe Biden promised he’d be “the most pro-union president you’ve ever seen,” and he probably has been. He supports the PRO Act, which would override state right-to-work laws and fine employers that fire workers for trying to unionize.The Washington Post claims there is a “wave of labor activism sweeping the country.“But despite all political support and media hype, unionization is down.Unionization did increase during the pandemic but fell as the pandemic waned. In 2021, 15.8 million workers were represented by a union, a decline of half a million since 2019.There are many reasons.The Janus Supreme Court decision in 2018 declared it unconstitutional to force government workers to pay union dues. Now 28 states no longer force any workers to pay union dues. That’s a good thing. No one should be forced to join groups they don’t want to join.In …