- The UAW, UPS, and Hollywood-writer labor movements have landed workers significant wins.
- We asked experts why recent strikes have had success and which industries could be next.
If worker movements pick up in the months and years ahead, it shouldn't be a big surprise.
The UAW, UPS, and Hollywood-writer unions have used strikes — or the threat of strikes — to land significant wins this year, including 25% raises for auto workers and eventual $170,000 salaries for UPS drivers.
Just this past week, the actors' union reached a deal its leaders called "extraordinary," and striking Kaiser Permanente healthcare workers won 21% pay increases.
Workforce and union experts told Insider that the economy is ripe for many workers to demand more, partially because the record profits some companies have reported in recent years mean more money to go around. Plus, they said the kind of worker action that's made the news in recent months is often contagious.
"Many of the strikes we are seeing — the Teamsters and UPS, the UAW at auto companies — are in the very industries that have experienced especially high profits," Matthew Johnson, assistant professor of public policy and economics at Duke University, told Insider. "This makes unionizing appealing since unions might be better positioned to carve out some of these profits for workers."
Low unemployment and strong consumer spending have also been key to recent union wins. When workers know they have other options in the job market — and companies are eager to meet customer demand — the conditions tend to favor unions, Victor Chen, associate professor of sociology at Virginia Commonwealth University, told Insider.
"The strike is their chief weapon, and when members aren't afraid to use it — which is the case now — companies often realize how much they need labor and make pragmatic deals to avoid further losses," he said.
While only 11% of US workers are represented by a union that could take action like those in the news recently, the same forces propelling unions could push non-union workers to unionize — or simply flex their bargaining power during their next salary negotiation. Experts told Insider they expect more workers in the auto, healthcare, education, and food service industries, among others, to demand more from their employers in the years to come.
Burnout, labor shortages, and AI could motivate workers to push for more
Industries with rising worker discontent and favorable economic conditions can be ripe for union activity.
In October, over 75,000 Kaiser Permanente healthcare employees went on strike, the largest healthcare strike in US history and one Johnson said had been years in the making.
"COVID just exacerbated the high rates of burnout and stress in this sector," he said. "I wouldn't be surprised if strikes and union organizing permeate throughout this sector."
Roughly 100,000 nurses left the workforce during the pandemic, the National Council of State Boards of Nursing said in April. At the same time, an aging US population is expected to increase the demand for healthcare workers. Both factors could give workers in the industry the leverage to push for better wages and working conditions.
Caroline Lucas, executive director of the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions, told Insider the strike had caught the attention of non-union healthcare professionals.
"Short staffing is still a major crisis at healthcare facilities across the country," she said.
A similar story could play out for other workers who endured hardships during the pandemic — and whose industries are still struggling to fill open positions, including teachers, childcare professionals, and food service workers.
"From meatpacking plants to grocery stores and coffee shops, workers are realizing more than ever, not just how essential they are, but the strength that comes from standing together to improve their working conditions," Dave Young, International Vice President for the United Food and Commercial Workers union, told Insider.
VCU's Chen also expects concerns about AI job replacement to spur more workers to organize. And if the economy remains strong, he said "previously untouchable" corporations like Amazon and Starbucks could see more worker movements and unionization.
Coming off a major win with the UAW strike, the auto industry, where only 16% of US workers are unionized, could be poised for more labor movements.
Worker movements can be contagious
While the economic climate has been crucial in fueling union activity across the US, public and political support — particularly from President Biden — have also been key pieces of the puzzle.
"Unions have momentum these days," Eunice Han, an assistant economics professor at the University of Utah, told Insider. "Public approval of labor unions is at its highest since the 1960s."
Public support for unions has helped keep workers on the picket line and made companies more hesitant to retaliate against striking workers — and risk consumer backlash, Duke's Johnson said.
To be sure, the economic conditions that have spurred union workers to strike — and non-union workers to push for higher pay — might not last forever. In recent months, the unemployment rate has risen slightly to 3.9% in October, job openings have fallen from their record highs, and multiple headwinds are expected to slow consumers' spending in the coming months.
But in the near term, some labor movements will likely persist even if conditions aren't perfect. That's because, in addition to being fueled by worker discontent, economic trends, and public support, these movements can have a domino effect.
"Research going back decades finds that successful strikes are contagious," Jake Rosenfeld, professor of sociology at Washington University, told Insider. "They lead to more strikes."