is a softer side of the and a reminder before we go up the top story, we're following for u. s. l. a for a 2nd. i have russian rocket strikes and cities across e friend because of the g 7 group of nations have condemned to russia for indiscriminate attackers and vowed to hold vladimir putin to account. that's all for me up. next, a deputy is business beyond with the look at how u. s. corporations try to stop a resurgence of labor unions. so there's more news coming at the top of the hour and much more at a website to be found. d, w dot hello guys. this is the 77 percent the platform with issues. hey, sure i did. you know all these channels we are not afraid to talk

to young people clearly have the solution. good future to the 77 percent. every weekend on d w. m. what secrets lie behind these walls? discover new adventures in 360 degrees. and explore fascinating world heritage sites. d w world heritage is 360. get the app now. a new labor movement in the us. it's being called david versus goliath. upstart unions versus powerful corporations. workers are forming unions and industries and companies that haven't seen them before. it's like they're like you're in here like they can't believe this is happening,

but this is happening around the world. i heard sir, my god whispered 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 than a year. and we'll look at a crucial question. will all of this momentum actually reshape america as a labor landscape? i don't think it any guarantee whether these workers are going to succeed and coin just don't understand that employers 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 1930 and the 940. 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 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 declined steadily as manufacturing jobs started to drawing 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 giga economy, has made it harder for a traditional union to attract new members. but there are some important nuances. for example, only around 8 percent of frances workforce is unionized. yet 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 find 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 have them back pay minus anything they've learned in the meantime. 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 combine with other unions for collective bargaining. despite those odds, the tide appears to be turning. the number of petitions to unionize 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 catalogues. i've 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 coding which really put those problems in to start release for workers were considered essential, but they weren't paid more than initially have saved work places. and so workers really felt particularly vulnerable at the same time, and 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 employers 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 court, 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 where cove. it was spreading quickly and he refused to go a pre point along horror. 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 lou, hey, did sure i got you on speaker phone and and i'm in the middle of the interview. what's up or usaa, where are we where to find it? was it okay? 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 can only have one of time to so ris, to rejuvenate, or even to just digest your food. if you go to the restroom, ah, that's what they call t o t. tom ortez, that's a possible right of 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 happening that we wait, be ignored, that, you know, we're here. you see this here, you see us here today. i'm to be quite honest. they don't know what to do because it's like they camp is like they're caught like a beer in the head like 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 us 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 tice 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 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 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 come 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. they still need to negotiate in 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 union, i think, 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 waste 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 episodes of business with the depend on past totally depend on what totally dependent on the suit that have been affected. climate activist anita selina, is fighting to protect her home in kenya. i'm not with weapons 3 saplings,

bank onto the quick up call, but opposed to action, which i think that's a little hoping to meet with them, with climate change and the country underwater bangladesh. we take a look at the long term impact of natural disasters. how people become refugees, the companies that profit from them and how the economic gloom continues to destroy the environment in 45 minutes on d, w o t. please listen carefully.

i don't know since you see yes, to the goal. ah, feel the magic discover the world around you subscribe to d w documentary on youtube. ah water is a source of life, but people across africa are having to cope with more drought.