Coming soon to a store near you: union organizing campaign

After years of declining membership, unions are redoubling their efforts to sell their product (membership) to new customers. While they have long targeted grocery stores like Kroger and SuperValu, they are now moving into the so-called “new economy” by zeroing in on employers like Amazon and Starbucks.

By the numbers

In 2021, the number of union workers across the country declined by 241,000. The total number of U.S. employees in unions dropped to 14 million, or a record low of 10.3% of all U.S. workers. In response, unions are turning to new businesses and warehouses such as Starbucks, Target, and Amazon to add members.

From October 1, 2021, through March 31, 2022, union representation petitions increased 57% over the previous six months. During the recent period, workers at more than 250 Starbucks locations filed petitions to form unions. While unions were approved in only 54 Starbucks stores, they still gained hundreds more dues-paying members. And a union successfully organized an Amazon warehouse for the first time in New York City, forming the Amazon Labor Union.

But union efforts go beyond coffee and Amazon. On May 11, 2022, workers at a Target store in Christiansburg, Virginia, filed an election petition, continuing the unions’ trend of focusing on commercial workers. Unionization efforts are popping up all over the country. A whopping 68% of Americans approve of labor unions, the highest positive rating since the 1960s.

The more things change . . .