- Right now, there's a swell of union activity, and businesses are taking notice.
- In a note, UBS said it's "too early to declare pro unionization a trend."
Business leaders are taking notice of the growing union movement.
In a Thursday note, a UBS research team led by Lloyd Walmsley broke down the state of the labor market and what might come next, calling it "an environment that has not been seen for decades."
While UBS says it's "too early to declare pro unionization a trend," the note follows $4 wins at a Staten Island Amazon warehouse, and $4 Starbucks locations where workers are $4 $4 $4 to unionize.
In 2021, union membership $4 — but pro-union sentiment was at highs unseen since 1965, per $4. UBS listed three reasons for this new labor environment.
The first is a short supply of labor. While economic recovery from the pandemic slump has been robust, the country is still 1.6 million jobs below February 2020 levels, according to the $4. Some workers may just $4, or wait on the sidelines until conditions are right for them.
There's also, as UBS notes, a pro-union administration running the country. President Joe Biden has said that he $4 "to be the most pro-union President leading the most pro-union administration in American history." Already, the Biden administration $4 to bolster union membership and organizing, and Biden has $4 of $4.
UBS also notes a "post-COVID" willingness by workers to simply just walk out and leave their jobs — "emboldening workers who are less concerned with losing their jobs." Indeed, over 4 million workers $4 every month for nine months straight.
Of course, as UBS notes, there are still constraints on unions — and a potential dent in business is still far off.
"Unions lack the resources and infrastructure to fight back against" large companies, UBS writes. As Axios $4 on Thursday, some advocates worry that "Big Labor" — longstanding labor groups that are at the forefront of policy — aren't rising to the current swelling moment.
Companies "may drag out negotiations until workers become unhappy with the lack of progress." They said that that's a strategy Starbucks may employee, and that 5 to 10 times more stores would have to unionize for a "critical mass in direct negotiating power." Even so, there's "momentum" in the organizing drive.
Amazon would need over 100 fulfillment centers to unionize before they see a "dent," although UBS "does not believe that this will be the last fulfillment center to unionize."
The Amazon