Since unions are the single most potent counterweight to organized business in politics, this proposal would only intensify the right-wing tilt of American politics. Most voters, of course, are not members of unions. Labor will beat back this initiative only if it can persuade citizens that unions are advocates not just of their own self-interest, but of a decent society generally. Initiatives like the Nurses Kaiser contract help reinforce that now-tenuous bond. It also helps to have companies like Kaiser, whose values transcend the corporate bottom line.
Most hospitals fiercely resist unionization.
Kaiser, at least, welcomes unions as social partners and then negotiates hard about the particulars. If labor recovers, it will rebound not just by redoubling its organizing, but by standing for broader public purposes. Readers may redistribute this article to other individuals for noncommercial use, provided that the text and this notice remain intact. This article may not be resold, reprinted, or redistributed for compensation of any kind without prior written permission from the author.