Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search
 

YoungDemCA

(5,714 posts)
Mon Jan 2, 2017, 02:47 PM Jan 2017

How Dwindling Union Power Helped Usher In Trump

Informative (if short) article regarding how the rise of deeply illiberal, right-wing/reactionary populism among not insignificant numbers of working-class white voters is directly correlated to the horrifying decline of unionization among this very demographic.

Donald Trump’s surprise victory in 2016 stunned the nation in part because white, working-class voters helped him crack open the Democratic blue wall of Iowa, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.

Trump succeeded in these states and among the white workers in them because we live not in a post-truth world, but in a post-union one. Strong unions would have helped convince white workers to turn out and vote for Democrats, and would have offered them an alternative to Trump’s narrative that blacks and immigrants are to blame for stagnant wages. But Trump capitalized on declining union strength in key Midwestern states that had previously been dependably Democratic.


All this matters because of the powerful role unions play in politically mobilizing and educating their members. Unions articulate and transmit social democratic values and a sense of class solidarity to their members. And the more unions deliver at the bargaining table, the more their members are willing to accept political direction from them.


The rise of Trumpism would not have been possible without the dismantling of the labor movement that preceded it. Unions are among the few organizations with the institutional means to transmit progressive values to workers, and workers view political socialization by unions as legitimate because they defend their interests at work. But with the demise of the labor movement, their signal is weaker, and a smaller percentage of the workforce is organized to receive it.


http://prospect.org/article/how-dwindling-union-power-helped-usher-trump
1 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
How Dwindling Union Power Helped Usher In Trump (Original Post) YoungDemCA Jan 2017 OP
Yup, that's how Walker did it here in WI jodymarie aimee Jan 2017 #1
 

jodymarie aimee

(3,975 posts)
1. Yup, that's how Walker did it here in WI
Mon Jan 2, 2017, 04:50 PM
Jan 2017

WI land of unions,now has 7% union. We were the petri dish for the USA.

Latest Discussions»Retired Forums»2016 Postmortem»How Dwindling Union Power...