Charles
Marv Gandall .
The sad fact is that trade unions have never represented more than a third of the workforce in the US, and today are barely treading water above 10%. For the past several decades, the unions - the once powerful industrial unions in particular, and not only in the US - have been in a steady retreat, mainly owing to the opening of vast new low-wage labour markets abroad and significant advances in communications and transportation technology.
As a result, unions are no longer seen as examples to be emulated by unorganized workers. As the saying goes, "the workers don't need a union to go backwards, they can do this by themselves." Consequently, it's no surprise that the much larger numbers of unorganized wage and salary earners are susceptible to ruling class propaganda about unions being narrow self-seeking organizations which are disruptive and costly to the economy, and are not disposed to support strikes and political reforms which strengthen the labour movement.
In this context, the broad-based Wisconsin and Ohio movements were remarkable. But these were struggles against the wholesale stripping of entrenched collective bargaining rights from teachers, cops, firefighters, and other public employees, which proved a bridge too far for overconfident tea-party influenced Republican state governments, although it should be noted they still managed to survive politically despite their anti-union overreach. It's a comforting myth on the left that if only the trade union leadership were replaced, the movement would revive. Perhaps to some extent, but even the most militant and inspired left-wing trade union leadership would have difficulty advancing against these historical headwinds.