PSTC Associate and Olive C. Watson Professor of Sociology and International and Public Affairs Andrew Schrank recently published an article on the reduced influence of labor unions in the postindustrial United States. In “Rebuilding Labor Power in the Postindustrial United States,” published in the ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, Schrank explores the decline of union power, alternative representation options, and the increasingly unequal distribution of power between employers and workers. 

Reflecting on the demography behind the ineffectiveness of current systems, Schrank notes, “The existing U.S. approach was designed to meet the needs of a densely concentrated, homogenous workforce. Think: ‘White guys in auto plants in the Upper Midwest.’ It's ill-suited to the needs of a diverse, dispersed labor force that's divided not only by socio-cultural factors but by space, and it's thus in need of a fundamental overhaul today.”

In the article, Schrank suggests several approaches the federal government could take to help restore more balanced power dynamics and help workers regain political efficacy, which include a $15 minimum wage, a hotline for workers whose rights may have been violated, “alt-labor” organizations, and a database where agencies and workers can coordinate labor law enforcement efforts.