Progressive causes have long relied on the labor movement. But will that last forever? Progressives are making political gains in L.A., California, and among young people across the country. At the same time, labor unions are growing weaker, losing clout and members. Does this weakness represent a huge threat to the left? Or can it be managed—and even overcome—by building new organizations and infrastructure for progressive causes? Should labor organizations be opened to people who aren’t members of unions? Washington Post columnist and American Prospect editor Harold Meyerson visits Zócalo to talk about possible new directions for labor both locally and nationally.
*Photo courtesy of Edward Kimmel.
The Takeaway
There’s Still Hope For American Unions
But It’s a Long Climb Back
“When I was a little kid growing up in L.A. in the 1950s, about one in three American workers belonged to unions,” said Washington Post columnist and American Prospect editor-at-large …