Who needs unions, anyway? We all do. | Opinion

By Todd E. Vachon and Debra Coyle McFadden

Child labor laws have been passed, a minimum wage has been set, overtime laws are in place, and there is a federal agency dedicated to occupational safety and health, OSHA. “So, what do we need unions for?” This is a common refrain uttered by opponents of unions as well as many workers who have never belonged to a union.

Welcome to the pandemic terrordome.

Since the arrival of COVID-19 earlier this year, the need for unions has become more apparent than ever. From the very start, essential workers in retail, warehouses, assembly lines, nursing homes, and hospitals were some of the most vulnerable, typically working with woefully inadequate safety protections and often at wages that do not begin to reflect the value their work adds to society each day.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has been missing in action, refusing to issue an emergency infectious disease standard for healthcare workers. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued inadequate guidance, which employers could choose to follow but could also ignore since it is not enforceable. The voluntary nature of this guidance has created an uneven playing field, pitting good employers who do the right thing against bad actors who ignore the guidance because it is more profitable — and they can do so with impunity.

In the face of federal government inaction and an inadequate response by many employers, workers and unions across the U.S. and here in New Jersey began taking action themselves, demanding better COVID-19 safety and health protections. From nurses to fast food workers, and warehouse workers to librarians, workers have fought for and won personal protective equipment (PPE), clean workplaces, hazard pay and, where possible, the ability to telecommute.

They joined with worker centers and other allies to support better conditions for non-union workers, including immigrant workers. They fought for furlough plans to keep fellow workers in their jobs rather than getting laid off. To win these protections, they signed letters, organized sick outs, filed grievances, engaged in bargaining and, in many cases, engaged in work stoppages.

These actions contributed to Gov. Phil Murphy’s issuance of executive orders to protect workers, such as Executive Order #122, which required essential employers to have infectious control practices, social distancing measures, facemask requirements and to notify workers of any known exposure to COVID-19 at the worksite. These are good steps, but more needs to be done to protect all workers as the economy reopens.

Through their organizations, workers have also come together to learn from and help each other. Since the pandemic reached our state in March, the New Jersey Work Environment Council (WEC), the Rutgers Labor Education Action Research Network (LEARN), and Jersey Renews have hosted a weekly web-based conversation titled: “COVID-19 Update: Saving Lives, Protecting Workers.” The program, which has had more than 20 episodes to date, features public health experts, government officials, medical personnel, and legal experts, discussing issues ranging from whistleblower protections and the right to refuse unsafe work to childcare and mental health resources. But the most impassioned presentations were made by frontline workers and worker representatives, telling their personal stories and sharing their collective struggles to ensure the safety of themselves, their coworkers and the public.

The webinar has not only been a source of information for and about New Jersey workers during the ongoing pandemic but it has also become a source of community across multiple sectors and organizations. It is a venue where ideas are shared, assistance is asked for and assistance is given. So as we watched many other states devolve into chaos and disarray over the summer months, putting politics and profits over public health, we could not help but to think how things might have been different if workers had a greater voice in those other places, as they do here in New Jersey where the unionization rate stands at 17%.

A recent study by economists from Columbia University partially confirms our hunch. Using data from a national survey of essential workers, the authors find that union members report better COVID-19 workplace practices and outcomes than nonmembers. Even adjusting for demographic and workplace factors, union members are more likely to report using PPE regularly at work, to receive PPE and other disinfecting or sanitizing resources from their employers, to receive paid sick leave, and to report being tested for COVID-19. A report by the Economic Policy Institute also cites how unionized workers have been able to secure enhanced safety measures, additional premium pay, paid sick time and a say in the terms of furloughs or work-share arrangements to save jobs during the pandemic.

The fruits of union efforts often benefit more than just their members. Recent research published in the journal Social Forces finds that unions have played a pivotal role in the passage of leave time legislation in many states – a key protection for workers during the pandemic. Looking at state-level variation in social policy and union institutional strength from 1983 to 2016, the author finds that union strength is positively associated with the timing of leave policy adoption.

Taken together, these successful efforts by unions to help protect workers during the pandemic suggest that: “Yes, we do indeed still need unions today — perhaps more than ever.”

So, this Labor Day — the one day dedicated to the contributions made to our country by American workers— take a moment to reflect on all of the common good work that organized workers do the other 364 days of the year, standing up for the rights of not just their own members, but all workers. As COVID-19 has made clear, worker health and safety means community health and safety, and when workers and communities are empowered and given a voice, they can help to create better outcomes for all of us.

Todd E. Vachon, Ph.D., is the faculty coordinator of the Labor Education Action Research Network (LEARN) in the School of Management and Labor Relations at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey.

Debra Coyle McFadden is executive director of the New Jersey Work Environment Council (WEC), a coalition of 70 labor, community, and environmental organizations working for safe, secure jobs and a healthy, sustainable environment.

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