The American labor movement has been in steady decline for decades, but labor leaders still stubbornly insist on portraying themselves as the champions of working-class America. In reality, unions have become largely irrelevant within the modern workplace, as union bosses ignore the everyday struggles of working Americans in favor of hobnobbing with media elites.
According to a new report by the Freedom Foundation, the myth of a labor renaissance has been fueled by a misleading media narrative that inflates isolated victories while ignoring countless failures. Luckily, this game of smoke and mirrors can easily be extinguished by adding some nuance to Big Labor’s propaganda gambit.
According to the report, this skewed narrative of rising union success is directly correlated with strong labor bias among American journalists. Currently, one in six reporters belong to a union, revealing a hidden rationale for pro-union coverage. This pro-labor preference has begun to dominate American newsrooms, contributing to distorted portrayals of victories and half-hearted coverage of failures.
For instance, the report highlights recent unionization efforts within Amazon and CVS. While labor sympathizers have celebrated these isolated victories, they have failed to provide crucial, albeit inconvenient context. For example, while 5,500 Amazon employees unionized in recent years, this represents less than 1% of its total U.S. workforce. Similarly, in a handful of Rhode Island and Nevada stores, 30 CVS pharmacists have been hailed for their unionization efforts. But in relation to over 30,000 CVS employees who have shunned union status, this inflated storyline seems to lose its spark.
But legacy media outlets are not the only ones to blame for overblown union enthusiasm. While the recent upswing in pro-union bias is undeniable, the undercurrent of political spending flowing from labor leaders to political machines goes largely unnoticed. Big Labor’s focus on electoral ambitions, rather than the needs of everyday American workers, has caused union dues to flow in the direction of friendly candidates.
According to the Freedom Foundation, during the 2020 election season, unions reportedly spent at least $1.8 billion on left-wing candidates. In 2021 and 2022, four major labor unions alone used membership dues to spend over $406 million on political activities. But the rabbit hole goes much deeper than public union contributions. Union-connected political action committees (PACs) also account for about 40 percent of political spending. Altogether, the recipients of this war chest are heavily one-sided, with 95.7 percent of contributions going to Democratic candidates and organizations across state and federal elections.
As the report highlights, Big Labor has pushed misguided legislation such as the PRO Act, which seeks to undermine worker freedom by repealing right-to-work laws in 28 states. Ironically, while Big Labor allies like Sens. Bernie Sanders (D-V.T.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) have championed the PRO Act, a whopping 87 percent of Americans actually support legislation promoting union accountability, signaling the failure of this anti-worker measure.
The myth of an American labor resurgence is a misleading narrative proliferated by biased media coverage and partisan political contributions. As Big Labor prioritizes electoral gains over the needs of American workers, the disconnect between union leadership and the workforce continues to widen.