Workers are organizing at historic levels. Small-business owners should take note.
Workers are organizing at rates not seen in years — and experts say small-business owners need to be ready in 2023.
The National Labor Relations Board, the government agency that oversees union activity and collective bargaining, saw 2,510 petitions for new unions in fiscal year 2022 — up 53% from the year before and the highest number since 2016. Charges for unfair labor practices also grew 19% from 15,082 in fiscal 2021 to 17,988 in fiscal 2022.
Taken together, the total number of cases at the NLRB in fiscal 2022 reached 20,498 — an increase of 23% — which was the largest increase in cases since 1976 and the largest percentage increase since 1959.
“After years of declining membership, unions are gaining representation rights for workers at unprecedented rates,” said Jerry Cutler, an attorney, author and lecturer at Columbia University and an expert on labor relations. “My perspective is that it's not temporary. It's hard to get the cat back in the bag.”
https://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/news/2023/01/05/union-organizing-labor-worker-gen-z-hiring-jobs.html