this is happening, but this is happening around the world. i hear, oh my god, whisper my ear. organize. in this video we'll look at how the political and social environment in the u. s. has created fertile ground for a fresh labor movement. will visit the state of north carolina to find out how unionizing efforts are running up against one of the world's biggest corporations. amazon says that so they want the associates to have a voice. well, workers, collectively that is a voice is nothing more democratic then again, and we'll look at a crucial question. will all of this momentum actually reshape america as a labor landscape? i don't think in any guarantee whether it's voters are going to succeed and coin just don't understand that employee also have rights during an active organizer.

that's all coming up on this correspondence, special of business beyond. let's start with some recent history here in the us. the last big wave of organizing was in the 19 thirty's and the 1940. it was just after the great depression and union started to expand, especially with the passing of the national labor relations act. in 1935, it's supported workers forming union by the 1950s, just over 35 percent of the labor force was unionized. mm. but in the decades that followed those numbers decline steadily. as manufacturing jobs started to trying up . automation increased and overseas markets opened up by 1983, only 20 percent of us workers belong to union. and in 2021. that number had fallen to 10.3 percent. the u. s. is definitely not alone in that trend. trade union

membership has dropped across the globe from turkey to japan. here in the us, the rise of more precarious working conditions like in the gig economy, has made it harder for traditional union to attract new members. but there are some important nuances. for example, only around 8 percent of frances workforce is unionized. get nearly all workers. there are covered by collective bargaining agreements, contracts between an employer and a group of employees. we asked labor expert, david madeline, what really sets us apart from other countries when it comes to union, our labor was very weak. it gives corporations tremendous power and ability to fight in ways that are sort of unimagined more any other countries. and the penalties of companies break the law and for example, fire

a worker for trying to to any union or incredibly, there's no monetary penalty for doing so. the most that they co corporation might have to do is post the notice and re hire that worker. and pay them back, pays minus anything they've earned in the meantime. i that law also prevents the type of sector wide union seen in countries like germany in the u. s. for example, workers can only go on strike against their direct employer and they can't combined with other unions for collective bargaining. despite those odds, the tide appears to be turning the number of petitions to union i has jumped by nearly 60 percent since last october. starbucks has seen a surge in union activity, nearly $200.00 stores have taken the 1st step towards forming a union. amazon workers in staten island, new york, successfully filed a petition to form the company 1st union corporations from

apple and google to target. and kellogg says, seen union activity to labor expert. david madeline says most workers have faced 5 decades of near stagnant wages, while economic inequality has hit record level and in juggernauts like amazon or apple workers are also under immense pressure to meet performance quota set by algorithm. with little control over changing their working conditions. then the pandemic hit. the american economy wasn't working very well from workers. and then you had co, which really put those problems into star relief workers were consider essential, but they weren't paid more than initially upstate work places. and so workers really felt particularly vulnerable at the same time, i saw the executives at their company's getting your record profits, so they were frustrated and ready to act. but beneath all that activity,

the number of us workers in labor union hasn't changed all that much. and we heard that u. s. labor law still favor employer. it's heavily. so is this really a new labor movement? this is ryan brown. he's a former reverend who was now the president of cause carolina amazonian united for solidarity and empowerment. a group of amazon workers in durham, north carolina, who are trying to form a union brown works on the main floor, putting together packages. last winter, he was told he would have to go to work in department or cove. it was spreading quickly and he refused to go pouring quite a long harper and in that prayer, i heard, oh my god whispered my ear. organize organizing has now become his

ministry, coordinating with fellow colleagues and activists, to demand better pay and working conditions. lou, a. d, j, i got you on speaker phone and, and i'm in the middle of the interview. what's up or usaa where, what are we, where to find food was cooking. it starts at $545.00. ah, and i'm in route now was new. he's joined today by a small group of workers just beyond amazon's property, handing out flyers to colleagues getting off shift. when you have enough time to, to ris, to rejuvenate, or even to just digest your food. if you go to the restroom, ah, that's what they called t o t, tom of chairs there. so possible, right up amazon has made our organizing very easy because every one is extremely mad. and they all have this righteous anger. because i seen that this

is a, in just place amazon told us amazon jobs come with an average starting pay of more than $18.00 an hour. well, over twice the federal minimum wage and hourly pay may go up to $28.00 per hour in some locations. and on unions, the company added our employees have the choice of whether or not to join a union. they always have as a company, we don't think unions are the best answer for our employees. many of the workers here tell us they make below that $18.00 average. between $1550.00 and $16.00 an hour. not enough to meet basic monthly costs, like rent and car payments and they are expected to meet unrealistic hourly targets to they know, getting amazon to the table will be difficult, but they believe fighting to form a union is the only way i believe fully,

wholeheartedly we are going to do that he is going to happen on that. we wait, be ignored that you know, we're here. you see this or you see us here today. um to be quite honest. they don't know what to do because it's like they can't. it's like they're caught like a deer in headlights like they can't believe this is happening, but this is happening around the world. many americans agree with that sentiment. in fact, polls show that 68 percent of people approve of labor unions. that's the most popular unions have been in the u. s. in decade. so if this is a new labor movement and it has plenty of support, what are its chances of succeeding? it's a mixed picture. janera type is an attorney who supported unions at the national labor relations board for 10 years. now. she's helping companies as a labor lawyer. i sort of seen it on both sides. you know, i think overwhelmingly,

employees just don't understand that employers also have rights during an active organizing camp. those rights include being allowed to voice their opinion on unionization efforts as long as they don't interfere with or coerced employee apps for the new generation of labor activists. i believe the jury is still out on whether they will see through what they started. if you look at millennials engines years, i think they're all very ambitious. and so the idea of being committed to working in one workplace for an extended career over time to the point where they could truly see a lot of the benefit of unionization, is still sort of out there as a question mark beyond that commitment needed. there's another big challenge filing

a petition to form a union is just a 1st step. then comes the next step, getting at least 50 percent of workers support and a union election. and then comes perhaps the most difficult step, getting their company to the table to discuss wages and conditions their, their battle isn't, is less than a half over. and they still need to negotiate a collective bargaining. and none of these sort of new ways have even succeeded in that yet. and that might be the central point. this new wave of unionizing is not likely to change the countries labor landscape on its own. according to labor analysts that would require a tremendous grassroots pressure and deeper change support from elected officials to revamp labor laws in order to support workers and make collective bargaining easier. such legislation has dim chances of making it through a very divided congress. and with an economic downturn looming labor experts warned that it will become more difficult for workers to build momentum in

a recession. as the labor market tightens up, still workers across the country are starting to generate a national debate about the way we work and what rights we have. and that could make enough ways to push lawmakers here in washington. and that's all for this edition of business beyond, we'd like to know what you think. what will the labor unions play in your country and could we see a new global labor movement? thanks for watching and in the meantime, you check out our earlier episode of business with oh, wow. i

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