OPINION:
I’ve made a career of revealing myths, exaggerations, and twisted statistics offered in pursuit of public policy agendas. I’m annoyed by liars, and I often say so. Anyone can be wrong from time to time. But a correction, or at a minimum not repeating falsities, is expected.
Inside this group of relentless liars, labor union officials are Exhibit A. I’ve recapped several of their promoted myths that are continuously on display.
Myth One: Unions are growing in popularity. The latest Gallup polling does reveal labor union “approval” among Americans hit 68 percent earlier this year—the highest level since 1965. Yet, in the private sector, fewer than seven percent belong to a union. What gives? In the same Gallup polling, only 28 percent of poll respondents have high confidence in unions. Translation: A majority of Americans like the concept of labor unions but would never join one. And most of that modest group never voted for their union. It came with the job.
As a percent of the workforce, union membership has steadily declined since the 1980s. Workers are realizing the promised benefits don’t outweigh the guaranteed baggage associated with membership. Labor unions and their allies consistently fail to grasp this concept. Bill Clinton’s Secretary of Labor, Robert Reich, recently tweeted, “Elon Musk increased his wealth by $36.2 billion in one day this week, but Tesla can’t afford to let auto workers unionize?” It’s not a question of whether a company can afford a union. It’s simply whether a majority of informed employees want to join the corrupt UAW.
Myth Two: Union activity is exploding in 2021. The media even nicknamed last month “Striketober.” But is there really an uptick in employee strikes, or is it a case of media exaggeration? Fact check: Over the last twenty years, there has been an average of 16 major work stoppages (over 1,000 employees) annually. So far, in 2021, the Labor Department counts fewer than a dozen.
Myth Three: The reason for low interest in unions is that companies have become more militant toward organizing. That one is ludicrous. Modern “anti-union” education campaigns waged by today’s businesses are decidedly less strident than some Presidential elections. Compare these to the historic warfare battles between management and labor. The River Rouge strike at Ford or the Homestead strike in the steel industry come to mind. A clash between protesters and strikebreaker Pinkerton guards and other private security teams ended in 17 fatalities. The tension between businesses and unions today is more civil than at any time in the past. But labor organizers promote a “them versus you” mindset to boost their claimed relevance and importance.
Myth Four: Labor law has become increasingly tilted against unions. In reality, labor law has remained little changed for decades. It’s true that political appointees at the National Labor Relations Board continually reinterpret the law. However, the National Labor Relations Act, passed in 1935 and amended in 1947, is mostly unchanged. That law governs labor organizing to this day. The union lament reminds me of the trial lawyer’s admonition, “when the facts are against you, argue the law.” But neither the facts nor the law are supportive of the union position. The reason why people aren’t joining has nothing to do with either (see Myth 1).
Chief among union complaints is that they can’t win elections when employees vote via the well-established secret ballot. They want law changes to obviate the need for private voting. But changing that rule throws the door wide open for voter intimidation. What would Stacy Abrams say?
Myth Five: Right-to-work laws harm employees and block the unionization of workplaces. False again. Unions already successfully recruit members in 27 right-to-work states when they can effectively convey value and confidence to employees. As of 2019, more than two million members are voluntarily supporting unions in those states. The state protections allow employees to join a union or not without being forced to pay union dues. The union position is upside down. Progressives, who claim to champion employee rights, should support right-to-work laws in the other 23 states.
Today, union leaders face a workforce that has little interest in unionization as long as management provides a workplace that is operated safely and provides market wage rates and benefits. Recently, big union organizing campaigns at Amazon, Nissan, Volkswagen (twice), and Boeing all witnessed a majority of employees voting NO. Yet the unions still claim foul, and the need for voting rule changes whenever employees leave them at the altar.
• Richard Berman is the president of Berman and Company, a public affairs firm in Washington, D.C.
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