“To the corporate elite bent on denying us fair wages, a dignified retirement, and respect both within and outside the workplace, I say: Know that we are united, vigilant, and determined to end your insatiable corporate greed.” – Amazon Labor Union President Christian Smalls
This sentiment has echoed across America, even the whole world, in powerful waves as we observe the aftershocks of the Writers Guild of America’s strike and the continuing tremors of the United Auto Workers’ strike. Both events could be historic turning points for unionization as union memberships have significantly declined in recent years. As Sara Chernikoff of the USA Today reports, nearly a quarter of the workforce belonged to a union 40 years ago; now that number is just over 10%. But could these strikes be a sign of a new union boom?
Quite possibly as journalists report now unions are beginning strikes against giants like Amazon and in the service and food industries. It simply cannot be denied that the U.A.W and Writers’ strikes have resurrected, at least in part, the spirit of working-class Americans that has long been dormant since the late 70s. After that peak unionization period, the Reagan administration as well as corporate America employed aggressive tactics to drive down union memberships with the use of “Right to Work” laws, general deregulation, and outsourcing labor to countries such as China, India, and Mexico. But clearly with this “season of strikes,” unions are anything but dead. In fact, Chernikoff reports that “more than two-thirds of Americans approve of labor unions,” according to recent polls.
How exactly did the Writer’s strike and the U.A.W. strike become so influential? In part, it is because we are in election season. As Republicans, Democrats, and the often-overlooked third parties battle for the presidency, issues like this come to define debate stages. Has the Biden administration somehow led to these strikes? And if so, is it because they have laid the foundation for workers’ demands to be heard or because they have exasperated or ignored the mistreatment workers experience? These strikes have become key events that politicians can use to interpret the effects and the philosophies of the previous administration. It is also important to note that, although these strikes will shape the elections, U.A.W. president Shawn Fain has refused to endorse a candidate as “Our endorsements are going to be earned. We’ve been very clear about that, no matter what politician.” Obviously, the U.A.W. has yet to view either Biden or Trump as being worthy defenders of working-class Americans, a decision that shakes these important political narratives.
For the Writer’s strike, its influence is central to the emerging discussion of AI’s place in creative industries. Although creative industries have no doubt felt the effects of outsourcing, AI threatens to be an even more extreme version of outsourcing at even lower costs. For the Writers Guild of America, if these writers don’t strike, they will have the threat of AI generated work hanging over every wage or benefits negotiation. In this sense, the Writers Guild is currently stuck in the middle of our current technological revolution. What was and is decided with their strike will impact every discussion of AI’s place in jobs all across America.
In addition, these strikes will have felt effects on Americans. The Writers Guild of America may have reached an agreement with Hollywood executives, but it is unlikely that their increased wages will mean a decrease in the executives’ enormously inflated wages. Instead, Hollywood will most likely seek to extract more money from the average consumer as experts warn that streaming services such as Netflix are expected to again increase prices. In the case of the U.A.W. strike, car sales are expected to be, perhaps mildly depending on how long the strike lasts, impacted in some form or another.
Finally, beyond these financial and political implications, these strikes are, without a doubt, defining our current age. As U.A.W. President Shawn Fain put it, “This is our time. We call this our generation-defining moment. This is it. … The sky has to be the limit.” Unionization threatens what most Americans see as the stranglehold that large corporations have over working-class Americans. If it substantially redefines our relationship with these economic giants, we could feel its effects ripple into every part of our economic life including our wages, our benefits, and our rights.
Kira Symington is a Dakota Student Section Editor. She can be reached at [email protected].
