Labor’s Obstacles and Democracy’s Demise

Authors

• Angela B. Cornell, Cornell Law SchoolFollow

Document Type

Book Chapter

Publication Date

1-25-2022

Keywords

Trade unions, Labor unions, Organized labor, Democracy, Authoritarianism, Freedom of association

Disciplines

Collective Bargaining | Human Rights Law | International and Comparative Labor Relations | Labor and Employment Law | Unions | Work, Economy and Organizations

Abstract

At a time when democratic institutions have been weakened by populist and authoritarian-leaning regimes around the globe, it is imperative that we revisit the fundamentals of democracy-building institutions, including the importance of strong, independent trade unions. Social science research has confirmed the critical role trade unions have played forging and sustaining democracies. The international human rights framework has long considered labor rights and labor unions as fundamental for social justice, securing peace, and bolstering democracy. Strengthening the meaningful exercise of labor rights is one important way to bolster democratic institutions. Union density in the USA reached its lowest point in over eight decades in 2019 and remains wildly out of sync with union approval. Labor law and judicial decisions that disfavor collective rights make it increasingly difficult for workers to realize their right to freedom of association. Perhaps revisiting the broader significance of labor unions will increase the feasibility of legislative reform and lead to reconsideration on the part of the judiciary. The USA should join other advanced industrialized nations and comply with international norms by broadly protecting workers’ right to organize, bargain collectively, and to strike in both the private and public sectors throughout the country. By doing so, the country can strengthen its ailing democracy.

Comments

Originally published in:

Angela B. Cornell and Mark Barenberg, editors, The Cambridge Handbook of Labor and Democracy (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2022).

Recommended Citation

Cornell, Angela B. "Labor's Obstacles and Democracy's Demise." In The Cambridge Handbook of Labor and Democracy, edited by Angela B. Cornell and Mark Barenberg, 49–65. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2022.