Skip to content
TrackPodcasts
governmentJul 15, 202552:31pending

Collective Bargaining Without the Unionization Battles

About this episode

Labor unions’ public approval has been increasing since 2009, and is now at levels not seen since the 1960s. And yet rates of union membership have been falling. Today just 10% of U.S. workers are represented by a union, and below 6% in the private sector. What if there were a less adversarial way to get the worker-protection aspects of unions without the brutal shop-by-shop campaigns? Enter “sectoral bargaining,” where boards with worker, employer, and government representatives hash out wages and working conditions for occupational groups. Think all fast food workers, janitorial staff, or health care providers.

Support the Optimist Economy podcast by becoming a paid subscriber on Substack, or donating at https://buymeacoffee.com/optimisteconomy

Complete show notes with links to articles and data at optimisteconomy.com.

You can also find Optimist Economy on:

Get every episode summarized

Each time Optimist Economy publishes, we email you a written briefing from the transcript — the topics, who appeared, and any specific claims, with the ad reads skipped.

Email me new episodes

Free for 3 shows. No card needed.

Hosts & guests

No transcript yet

This episode has not been transcribed. Request it and it moves to the front of the queue.

Collective Bargaining Without the Unionization Battles

Optimist Economy

0:00
52:31

More episodes

More from Optimist Economy

View all episodes →