If unions can recouple that link, if they can remind people that they can demand a fair share of the profits, they will shrink income disparities, strengthen our middle class, and lay the groundwork for a renewal of our democratic institutions. Second, unions remind us that the economy exists for people, not the other way around. By doing so, unions articulate values in opposition to corporate greed. Third, unions have been part of a larger movement outside the workforce for social reform. They have been the link between free markets and democratic rights.
History shows that progress occurs in places where free labor movements are strong.
As unions become weaker in this country, it is not surprising that we see an assault on programs such as Social Security and Medicare. But each time labor reaches out to organize the unorganized, a new wave of democratic participation and social reform has followed. We are at such a historic moment in America today. We are being challenged by a whole new set of rules. The global economy has changed the rules for everyone, and the labor movement must change to meet those challenges.