#unionization rate

Saba, R. (2022, February 12). After years of decline, the percentage of unionized workers is increasing again — and the pandemic is likely the reason. The Toronto Star. https://www.thestar.com/business/2022/02/12/after-years-of-decline-the-percentage-of-unionized-workers-is-increasing-again-and-the-pandemic-is-likely-the-reason.html ; UTL Link: https://www.proquest.com/docview/2627929822/1852F613C22F48EBPQ/24?accountid=14771

Rosa Saba writes: "In Canada, overall union coverage has been in slow but steady decline, from 32.3 per cent in 2000 to 30.2 per cent in 2019. But almost two years later, it’s trending upwards, at 30.9 per cent in 2021. While Canadian union representatives said they have seen increased interest from front-line and precarious workers in establishing collective agreements during the pandemic, especially among those who can’t work from home, industry leaders say it’s too soon to tell whether this is the beginning of a lasting wave of unionization among Canadian workers, despite the current headlines the movement is capturing."

"The public sector accounts for the bulk of unionized jobs in Canada, and its unionization rate, or the percentage of workers covered by a collective agreement, has gone up during the pandemic, while in the private sector, overall unionization rates have decreased despite these high-profile union drives. In 2020, the union coverage rate across all sectors was significantly higher compared to 2019, not due to more unionization but to the loss of non-unionized jobs, Stanford said. The unionization rate in the retail sector was 12.5 per cent in 2021 compared to 12.3 in 2019. Employment in this sector was actually slightly higher than or equal to 2019 levels in 2021, meaning the higher unionization rate can’t be attributed to fewer jobs."

Additional Information

PetSmart Workers United. Twitter. https://twitter.com/PetsmartUnion

Carneiro, B. & Costa, H.A. (2020). Digital unionism as a renewal strategy? Social media use by trade union confederations. Journal of Industrial Relations 64(1), 26-61. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0022185620979337 Open Access

Young Workers Give Unions New Hope

Durbin, D. (2022, February 14). Young workers give unions new hope. AP News. https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-health-business-171eb1523254b631d84caa68dfebd7ec

Dee-Ann Durbin writes: "Workers in their 20s __ and even in their teens __ are leading ongoing efforts to unionize companies large and small, from Starbucks and REI to local cannabis dispensaries. The Alphabet Workers Union, formed last year and now representing 800 Google employees, is run by five people who are under 35. Multiple polls show union approval is high __ and growing __ among the youngest workers. And U.S. union membership levels are even ticking upward for workers between 25 and 34, even as they decline among other age groups."

"Between 2019 and 2021, the overall percentage of U.S. union members stayed flat. But the percentage of workers ages 25-34 who are union members rose from 8.8% to 9.4%, or around 68,000 workers, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics...Brown said there are signs those numbers will continue to rise this year under the labor-friendly Biden administration, which issued proposals this month aimed at increasing unionization rates for federal workers and contractors. In January, there were 170 petitions filed for union elections with the National Labor Relations Board; that was more than double the 83 filed in January 2021."

Additional Information

VanHeuvelen, T. & Brady, D. (2021). Labor Unions and American Poverty. ILR Review. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/00197939211014855 ; UTL Link: https://doi-org.myaccess.library.utoronto.ca/10.1177%2F00197939211014855