{"id":1958,"date":"2020-06-16T06:00:12","date_gmt":"2020-06-16T06:00:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.uniontrack.com\/blog\/?p=1958"},"modified":"2020-06-15T14:30:50","modified_gmt":"2020-06-15T14:30:50","slug":"union-response-to-covid-19","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uniontrack.com\/blog\/union-response-to-covid-19","title":{"rendered":"How Union Response to COVID-19 Will Impact the Future of Labor"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ken Green
\nCEO\/Founder
\nUnionTrack<\/a><\/p>\n

Workers have relied on union response to give them a voice during the COVID-19 pandemic<\/a>. Slow and insufficient efforts by employers and legislators to protect vulnerable employees in nearly every industry have thrust labor unions into the driver\u2019s seat for ensuring the safety and well-being of workers.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cAs the disease has spread and the economy has slowed, organized labor has taken center stage in the nation\u2019s response,\u201d writes Jared Odessky<\/a>, J.D. candidate at Harvard Law School and writer at On Labor. \u201cUnions have shown their value not only in protecting employees at individual workplaces, but also in fighting for workers\u2014members and non-members alike\u2014in the halls of government.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

They\u2019ve done so by embracing what they do best \u2014 organizing, bargaining, advocating \u2014 to ensure quick and appropriate action is taken in defense of workers.<\/p>\n

Organizing Workers Around Employer Responses to the Crisis<\/h2>\n

One of the unions\u2019 most effective approaches has been organizing inside the workplaces that have required essential employees to work under hazardous conditions. Some of these workplaces are already union. Others aren\u2019t. But the approach by unions is the same for both: Encourage employees to form a collective that can stand up for their rights at work.<\/p>\n

Consider the UE\u2019s approach. \u201cOur union, the United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America (UE), has called on all workers, both our members and nonunion workers, to stand up and fight,\u201d write Carl Rosen, Andew Dinkelaker and Gene Elk<\/a>, respectively the general president, general secretary-treasurer and director of organization for the UE.<\/p>\n

In addition to the call to unify, the UE is providing resources to help both union and nonunion workers navigate the organization of their workplaces. That\u2019s the kind of support that keeps people motivated to stand together against unsafe working conditions.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cOur members, both in organized shops and in workplaces where we have organizing campaigns, are winning concessions from their employers through militant and creative tactics,\u201d note Rosen, Dinkelaker and Elk.<\/p>\n

Those successes are especially encouraging because workers and unions are organizing under social distancing guidelines, which eliminate the more personable organizing tactics that tend to be more effective.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cSo much of organizing is relationship work and building connections with people, but social distancing and stay-at-home orders are adding a real complexity to that relationship-building work,\u201d says Dr. Ashley Nickels<\/a>, assistant professor of political science at Kent State University.<\/p>\n

But workers, with the help of unions, have been able to successfully organize under distancing restrictions. For example, workers at immigrant rights group Causa, under the advice of Communications Workers of America (CWA) Local 7901, sent a video of their request for union recognition to the company\u2019s management in March 2020. Their efforts resulted in almost immediate voluntary recognition of their decision to unionize.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe didn\u2019t stop organizing when a pandemic happened,\u201d CWA Local 7901 President A.J. Mendoza<\/a> said at the time. \u201cWe just adjusted, like organizers do.\u201d<\/p>\n

The determination and creativity Causa workers demonstrated highlight how workers recognize the strength in unionizing. The COVID-19 pandemic \u201chas sparked increasing awareness of, and energy around, labor rights and collective power,\u201d writes Hannah Lebovits<\/a>, Ph.D. candidate in urban studies and public affairs at Cleveland State University. Labor unions are, rightfully, taking advantage of that surge in pro-union energy to build up momentum for the future.\u00a0<\/p>\n

By engaging with workers and supporting their efforts, unions promote the power of the collective and demonstrate just what they can do for workers who are willing to organize.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"union<\/p>\n

Pressuring Employers to Improve Working Conditions<\/h2>\n

While organizing workers is important for bringing about changes, it can take a long time to bring employees together. That\u2019s why labor unions have been using their influence to pressure employers to make immediate changes to working conditions during the COVID-19 crisis.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Whether within a contract bargaining period or outside of it, union leaders have upped their demands to negotiate safer workplaces and better wages during the pandemic.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have the right to bargain over changes in our workplaces that affect our health and safety, pay, benefits, and other working conditions,\u201d the publication A UE Steward\u2019s Guide to Fighting COVID-19<\/a> asserts. \u201cThis means we have the right to demand standards that will keep members safe during this viral outbreak, including advocating for closing nonessential businesses or advocating for additional safety measures in workplaces that must remain open.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Campus Labor Coalition<\/a> at the University of Illinois is one of many groups to demand more from their employers in response to the pandemic. The group sent a letter to leaders at the university requesting changes in working conditions, paid sick leave, housing and healthcare.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Nick Goodell<\/a>, operations coordinator for the Non-Tenure Faculty Coalition Local 6546, emphasizes that the group is simply attempting to offer solutions for the university to consider. \u201cWe\u2019re not trying to so much to shame the university administration as we are trying to, I think, just call them to see some possibilities,\u201d Goodell says.<\/p>\n

Unions are putting pressure on big employers like Amazon, as well. At the beginning of the economic shutdown in response to the virus, The AFL-CIO<\/a>, the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union<\/a>, the Service Employees International Union<\/a> and others joined a push by New York lawmakers and other labor allies to pressure the company to \u201cdo better\u201d by their essential employees working during the pandemic.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cYour workers deserve to have full protections and to be confident that they are not carrying COVID-19 home to their families,\u201d the letter states.<\/p>\n

Through these and other endeavors, labor leaders are setting the stage for shaping workplace safety in the future.<\/p>\n

Supporting Workers When They Protest<\/h2>\n

The protest<\/a> is one of the most effective tools workers have to express themselves at work and exact changes in the workplace. And many, with the support of unions, are using this strategy to win greater protections during the COVID-19 crisis.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Nelson Lichtenstein<\/a>, distinguished professor of history at the University of California, Santa Barbara, says employers are endangering employees by not following the safety recommendations of experts, and this is driving an increase in labor activism.\u00a0<\/p>\n

These employees, along with numerous others, have joined together in protest during the crisis to get their voices heard. Some examples:<\/p>\n