If Democrats Win It All: It's Make-It-Or-Break-It-Time for Big Labor
AWF lays out the steaks for this election in the following DC Examiner Editorial:
With the current financial turmoil, there are many who will claim the fate of the lending markets, the future of free trade, and the stability of the dollar all rest of the outcome of this presidential election.
Others say Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama will put a stop to free trade and that his Republican rival John McCain will create a world where private markets are aloud to function free from government interference. And the list goes on and on.
Those issues are certainly relevant and their outcomes dire indeed. Yet there is one trend that remains undisputed – this election will decide the fate of the American labor union.
What once comprised more than 35 percent of the American workforce in the mid-1950s today accounts for a mere 12 percent, and is falling. Within that number, however, there lies a diverging, and often misleading trend.
While overall union membership is down about 23 percent since its heyday and individual private sector union rates are down to around 8 percent from a high of 24 percent in 1972, public sector unionization remains the silver lining for organized labor. The unions’ glimmer of hope remains with the drones of government employees that are increasingly joining their ranks.
Up marginally from last year, current public sector government union rates are around 35 percent. The trend since 1994, however, indicates a negative slope. What does this mean for the future relevance of the labor union?
Many pundits and pollsters will contend that statistics speak for themselves and the labor movement is dying. However, it is important to remember that an injured beast can still strike – and the timing is perfect...click to continue.
