In 1980, the chief executive of a major company made 42 times the pay of a typical American factory worker. But by 1990, the ratio had more than doubled, and last year, according to a report by the Institute for Policy Studies, the gap had exploded to more than 400 to 1. That is unconscionable, and it reflects the impact of a decline in union membership nationwide. Historically, as union membership has waned and organized labor's strength has declined, disparities in society have tended to increase. From airline pilots everywhere to janitors in Los Angeles, from emergency room nurses in Chicago to assembly line workers in Niagara Falls, Buffalo, and Rochester, unionized workers have been the backbone of our nation's economic development and have used their collective power to contribute to the well-being of the whole community.
Organized labor is good for working people, and good for America.