Today is Labor Day, and the working class has a lot to be excited about.
Unions are more popular than they’ve been in decades, and they’re winning victories too.
Let’s take a look at some of the most important developments over the last year.🧵
Last November, the United Auto Workers stood up in a historic strike against Stellantis, General Motors, and Ford and won contracts that will raise wages by at least 25% over the next four years.
The UAW made history again just 5 months later, unionizing the first automobile plant in the South since the 1940s and expanding the UAW’s reach beyond the Midwest. More than 70% of the workers at the Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga voted to unionize.
In May, 1,700 Disneyland character and parade workers won a new union — which they’re calling Magic United.
Then, 14,000 other Disneyland workers won a 31% raise after threatening to strike in July. It’s their biggest ever wage increase. Most workers will see a $6.10/hour bump, and minimum pay is rising to $24/hour this year.
Southwest Airlines flight attendants secured a contract that raises wages by 33% over the next 4 years.
Workers at Blue Bird—the country’s largest electric school bus maker—ratified their first union contract. They secured raises of up to 40%.
Starbucks Workers United announced in February that they secured a commitment from Starbucks to begin negotiations on a collective bargaining agreement for more than 9,000 workers at 380+ different locations.
The Writers Guild of America also secured their own victory in September last year, ratifying a contract with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers after the second-longest strike in Hollywood history.
Not too long after that, the Screen Actors Guild secured their own contract as well, bringing an end to what was a rare multi-union struggle over workers’ rights in Hollywood in 2023.
Unions more broadly are very popular. A new poll from Gallup shows that 67% of Americans support labor unions and more than 75% say that unions get the goods for their members. A record high of 61% of Americans say that unions help the economy, as well.
Nationwide, more than 75% of all private sector organizing attempts from mid-2023 to mid-2024 resulted in union victories, according to the CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies.