On Labor Day 2023, I appeared on MSNBC with Jose Diaz Balart to discuss the state of the labor movement and the likelihood that 2023 could be the biggest year for strikes and worker organizing in several years.
Among other topics, we discussed the strikes in Hollywood as well as the possibility that the UAW will strike the Big Three U.S. automakers. We also discussed the increase in union membership in 2022 and the indications more than half way into 2023 that union membership is likely to continue to grow. I noted that strikes and rising activism and militancy are not turning off workers. To the contrary, they seem to be part of the appeal, especially to young people who support unions at a rate of 80%.
Finally, I talked about the impressive level of solidarity we have seen from workers who are not on strike with those who are, including the strong support shown by IATSE and the Teamsters for the Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA. Certainly, some workers --- including the strikers --- are suffering because of the strikes. But I expect the strikes to leave workers much better off than they would be if management did not have to listen to their workers.
Watch the full interview here:
