Posts tagged Manufacturing
Opinion: Democrats Are Pushing A Labor Policy Even Their Own Voters Oppose
February 7, 2023 // Now, after the multi-year UAW corruption investigation that saw the conviction of 2 former union presidents and a host of other union officials, Michigan Democrats want to strip away a worker’s ability to hold their union answerable and accountable; in essence to legislate away a worker’s power and give it back to the holders of the union’s purse strings. But the culture has adapted. It’s changed. Compulsion is no longer an acceptable union business model.
The State of the Union: Unpacking the Recent Rise in Labor Unionization
January 20, 2023 // Considering unions’ historical role in curbing disproportionate corporate profits and inequality, it makes sense that the NLRB reported a 57% jump in union representation petitions and 14% more complaints of unfair labor practices in the first half of 2022. In the current moment, it seems that workers are turning to unionization as a means of righting the wrongs of corporate inequality. But this push for unions, while having recently enjoyed a burst of momentum, has been a long time coming. Public support for unions stands at 71%, up from 48% in 2010 and at its highest since 1965, according to a recent Gallup poll. Organizers are also being buoyed by a political environment conducive to labor organizing. President Biden has taken decidedly pro-union stances since entering office, replacing Trump’s pro-business and anti-labor NLRB general counsel with former union attorney Jennifer Abruzzo and backing the PRO Act, which would simplify the process of unionizing. It also helps that unions have evaded the extreme partisanship that has swamped most other issues in contemporary politics: While Democrats are twice as likely to view unions favorably compared to Republicans, almost half of Republicans still say that they would approve of unionization in their workplaces.
ANALYSIS: Three Charts That Show Unions’ Picketing Power in 2022
January 17, 2023 // With unions continuing to gain traction against a backdrop of tight labor markets and job dissatisfaction, it’s no wonder that 2022 was a busy year for labor unrest. But still, it’s pretty astonishing to see just how busy unions have been. Here are three year-end statistics, mined from Bloomberg Law’s database of work stoppages, that help reveal the scope of union strike activity in 2022. Union Strike Total Surpasses 300 Unions initiated 314 strikes against employers in 2022, according to preliminary statistics from the database. It’s the first time strike totals have topped the 300 mark since 2005.
Biden touts unions at nonunion factory in Bay City
December 2, 2022 // SK Siltron in Bay City is not staffed by union labor; Michigan unions down 140K members since 2012
Right-to-Work Impact Study First Measure of Michigan, Indiana Laws
August 10, 2022 // Ten years ago this December, the state Legislature adopted a right-to-work statute, which said nobody need be compelled to join or financially support a union as a condition of employment. This worker protection law was the fruit of a two-decade campaign by the Mackinac Center. The Mackinac Center has repeatedly used its intellectual firepower to demonstrate to the public, opinion makers and legislators that right-to-work states frequently do better economically than those with compulsory union laws. Among the studies we cited over the years was a 1998 academic paper that looked at counties on state borders, where one state enjoyed right-to-work protections and an adjacent state did not. Mackinac Center Adjunct Scholar Todd Nesbit, Wall Street Journal, The Hill, The Detroit News,
Labor unions run full court press in favor of Democrats $739B Inflation Reduction Act
August 9, 2022 // Labor union bosses have praised the legislation as a big win for their members. The AFL-CIO is particularly pleased with the hundreds of billions of dollars the bill directs to climate-related initiatives. "These provisions dramatically lower the cost of clean energy, positioning the U.S. to make deep carbon emissions reductions while preserving and creating millions of jobs, with an especially big boost to manufacturing," said AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler. "Importantly for fairness and diversity, it pushes investment to fossil fuel and underserved communities. While the 'union bonus' incentives we advocated for were not included, the bill retains provisions that strengthen prevailing wage, apprenticeship and domestic content standards throughout."
Worker Shortage Continues: Low Wage Sectors Hardest Hit
August 1, 2022 // 33% of women and 16% of men said caring for children or others at home has made returning to work difficult. Other barriers to re-employment were concerns about Covid, health concerns, Covid-related issues in their industry, or simply a greater reliance on others in the household, making it less critical to return to work. Moreover, three million adults retired early because of the pandemic. Almost half (48%) of those who lost their job said they leaned on pandemic stimulus payments to get by. Thirty-six percent said they used unemployment insurance benefits as a source of income and 29% utilized other government programs or incentives.
Right-to-work protections do work
May 24, 2022 // Even industries that are not union dense showed positive gains from adoption of right-to-work laws. Our estimates indicate counties in right-to-work states experienced increases in the employment share in the food services and accommodations industry. Nearby counties in non-right-to-work states, by contrast, saw employment share declines in this industry.
Opinion: Michigan is better off because of right-to-work law
May 9, 2022 // Right-to-work laws drew raucous debates over their adoption, but evidence continues to demonstrate largely positive effects from such laws. They should be protected by policymakers for the sake of worker freedom and for sound economic development policy.
Worker productivity saw its biggest drop since 1947 in the first quarter—but experts say the headline figures don’t tell the whole story
May 9, 2022 // American workers’ productivity dropped sharply in the first quarter of 2022, notching the largest three-month decline since 1947. Non-farm productivity, which measures worker output against hours worked, sank 7.5% from January through March, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on Thursday.