Why Unions in the United States will Die: American Labor Organizations in the Age of Trump

This essay analyzes the effects of Donald Trump’s election as President on organized labor in the United States and, more specifically, on the demographic of workers responsible for his electoral college victory. The argument is that culture rather than economics explains Trump’s success in capturin...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inEmployee responsibilities and rights journal Vol. 29; no. 2; pp. 91 - 106
Main Author Hogler, Raymond L.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published New York Springer US 01.06.2017
Springer Nature B.V
Subjects
Academic degrees
African Americans
Antisemitism
Blogs
Civil rights
Climate change
Collective bargaining
Comparative Law
Culture
Economics
Editorials
Elections
Electoral College
Ethics
Inequality
International & Foreign Law
Labor market
Labor movements
Labor relations
Labor unions
Lewis, John (1940-2020)
Membership
Minimum wage
Political campaigns
Political parties
Presidential elections
Presidents
Private International Law
Puzder, Andrew F
Right to work
Slavery
Social policy
Social Sciences
Society
Trends
Trump, Donald J
Union membership
Unionization
Voters
Wage differential
Wages & salaries
Wagner Act 1935-US
Wealth
Wealth distribution
White people
Working class
United States > US
Supreme court
Collective bargaining
Right to work
Labor unions
Inequality
National Labor Relations Board
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Summary:This essay analyzes the effects of Donald Trump’s election as President on organized labor in the United States and, more specifically, on the demographic of workers responsible for his electoral college victory. The argument is that culture rather than economics explains Trump’s success in capturing key industrial states. His support depended on white middle-aged male voters without college degrees, the same cohort that makes up the backbone of unions in the United States. The likelihood is that Trump’s policies will further immiserate the American working class rather than reinvigorate it. In three key areas, Trump’s presidency will result in lower union membership density and higher inequality of wealth. The cultural orientation of Trump’s supporters outweighed politics, policy, and competence in selecting a national leader.
ISSN:0892-7545
1573-3378
DOI:10.1007/s10672-017-9291-7