Unions are a barrier to the efficient operation of businesses. Some of them have a history of being corrupt. Finally, as we have recently seen with police unions, organizations run primarily by and for middle-aged white men are not exactly known as being socially progressive. There are plenty of good reasons why people my age didn’t embrace unions.
But this came at a cost. Unions are an effective mechanism to transfer wealth from capital to labor. There is a clear correlation between the decline of unions and the national increase in inequality. And it isn’t inevitable that unions have to be associated with reactionary views on social issues; the frontier for union organization consists of employees who are disproportionately female and minority.
There are two conclusions to be drawn from this. First, the Democrats are right to propose legislation and regulations that make organization easier. In fact, they should be doing more to highlight this issue as a wedge between the GOP and its favorite pool of voters. Second, it is possible that, at some point in the future, unions may actually be a progressive force in American politics.