--- title: What Happened to the American Union? | TIME description: In 2014, the American labor union membership was at 11.1 percent. What happened to the American Union? canonical: https://time.com/video/lqWM7atE/ og:title: What Happened to the American Union? og:description: In 2014, the American labor union membership was at 11.1 percent. What happened to the American Union? og:url: https://time.com/video/lqWM7atE/ og:image: https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/lqWM7atE/poster.jpg?width=720 og:type: video.other twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: What Happened to the American Union? twitter:description: In 2014, the American labor union membership was at 11.1 percent. What happened to the American Union? twitter:image: https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/lqWM7atE/poster.jpg?width=720 --- # What Happened to the American Union? > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. 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They are at time.com/newsletters and are separate from a paid subscription. ## Video: What Happened to the American Union? [Watch (HLS stream): What Happened to the American Union?](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/lqWM7atE.m3u8) (2:38)  _Published 2015-09-04. In 2014, the American labor union membership was at 11.1 percent. What happened to the American Union?_ --- Jul 27, 2023 6:46 PM UTC --- ## More From This Series [All Videos](https://time.com/video/) [American Voices participants share their take on the importance of knowing what happened in the past.](/video/pgtfrTp6/) ### American Voices participants share their take on the importance of knowing what happened in the past. [Fact Check: How Many Americans Are Out of the Labor Force?](/video/pGUb9xVH/) ### Fact Check: How Many Americans Are Out of the Labor Force? [AMERICAN SNIPER Trailer #1 \(2014\) Bradley Cooper, Clint Eastwood Movie HD](/video/W1uaJKuq/) ### AMERICAN SNIPER Trailer #1 (2014) Bradley Cooper, Clint Eastwood Movie HD --- ## Transcript [ MUSIC ] The early half of the 20th century saw a rapid rise in labor union membership. But today only about one- eighth of American workers belong to them. What happened to the American union? Labor unions began as a way for the common worker to achieve Achieve collective bargaining power against employers for higher wages, safer conditions, and better hours. Some unions such as the Industrial Workers of the World were focused not only in those goals but in creating a united working class. Others known as bread and butter unions were solely focused on achieving better conditions. Ticket lines around 100 plants. A union's collective power was often enforced in the form of a strike, a practice still common today among public school teachers and transportation workers. Workers would ban together and agree not to work until employers gave into their demands. In the early days. These strikes could turn into violent riots. Today, most unions settle conditions directly with the companies. Through striking and negotiating, unions were able to achieve many victories for its workers. Today, sectors like public education and auto industries are heavily unionized, but many other private sector jobs no longer have a large union influence. [ UNKNOWN ] One possible reason is government action. Certain labor laws have made unions seem less necessary. For instance, with passage of the Occupational Safety and Health Act, workers no longer needed to depend on unions to report on safe conditions. Meanwhile, other laws have limited what you Unions can do. The Taft Hartley Act of 1947 placed restrictions on certain union bargaining tactics like striking. Many companies also offered benefits that were once traditionally brought about by unions such as pension. The decline of unions may also be tied to larger changes in the global economy. Some industries have seen jobs move overseas or be replaced by automation. And with that came the loss of many unionized jobs. Attitudes towards unions may have also contributed to their decline. Many people began to think that unions were economically inefficient. And that they hindered growth. And unionized labor that requires higher pay Pushed companies to find work elsewhere to stay competitive. [ NOISE ] But that doesn't mean unions are no longer influential. Organized labor recently helped raise the stagnant minimum raise in several cities. Whether unions will disappear, or make a comeback, their influence on the American workforce will keep carry on for years to come. [ MUSIC ] ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"What Happened to the American Union?","description":"In 2014, the American labor union membership was at 11.1 percent. 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