American Unions’ Troubles Could Be Fueling a Resurgence in Labor Activism

http://www.truthdig.com/eartotheground/item/american_unions_troubles_could_be_fueling_a_resurgence_in_labor_activism/

Posted on Sep 1, 2013

All those anti-labor laws being passed by Republican-led legislatures around the country could be having an unforeseen consequence: increased labor strife.

Crain’s Detroit, a business publication in the heart of the modern American labor movement, reports that the breakdown of unions in Michigan—the state recently adopted right-to-work laws—has reduced the role of unions as vents for worker grievances. With the structure crumbling, workers are more likely to take to the streets with their protests, or to file complaints with federal regulators and courts.

So the laws aimed at curbing labor might in fact be creating a new generation of radical activists.

“With Michigan’s hourly wages, adjusted for inflation, at the lowest rate in more than 30 years, a new labor movement is afoot,” Crain’s reports. “Local experts say there is an increase in protests and litigation—the unintended consequences of a dismantled union workforce. And it’s going to get worse.”

FULL story at link.



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