Department Chair and Professor of Labor and Employment Studies John Logan comments on the effectiveness of both the opponents and supporters of unions.
Google has hired an anti-union consulting firm to help develop strategies for dealing with worker unrest, mainly in response to recent employee protests about the company's handling of sexual harrasment complaints. However, do these tactics work in preventing union organization? "There are so many things an employer can do that have devastating impact on the likely success of an organizing campaign," Logan tells the New York Times, "In that sense, there's no question they're effective."
On the other side of this battle, presidential candidates are voicing their concerns as allies of unionized laborers. Joe Biden, for example, unveiled a plan to empower workers, featuring a path for all public-sector employees to unionize and a repeal of secondary boycotts, expanding the scope of union protests. John Logan argues that labor officials are less likely to scrutinize Biden's past positions - including those that have disadvantaged workers - in favor of looking at their own relationships with the candidates and their current stances on issues.
Read more on The New York Times and Capital & Main websites