RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Labor Unions and the Great Recession
JF RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences
FD Russell Sage Foundation
SP 145
OP 165
DO 10.7758/RSF.2017.3.3.07
VO 3
IS 3
A1 Milkman, Ruth
A1 Luce, Stephanie
YR 2017
UL http://www.rsfjournal.org/content/3/3/145.abstract
AB This article examines the impact of the Great Recession on the U.S. labor movement. After reviewing the classic industrial relations literature on the relationship between unionization rates and business cycles, we analyze historical union density trends. After documenting the relentless downward trend in the private sector from the early 1980s, with no apparent relationship to the business cycle, we analyze the negative impact of the political dynamic that unfolded in the wake of the Great Recession on public-sector unionism in sharp contrast to what took place during the Great Depression. We also explore the new forms of labor organizing that have emerged in the private sector, which have capitalized on the growing public concern about rising inequality sparked by Occupy Wall Street.