POWER March 2021 - 4

SPEAKING OF POWER
Members Benefit from
Labor Unions During
Pandemic
Aaron Larson
he U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
reported in January that the number
of wage and salary workers belonging
to unions decreased to 14.3 million in
2020, down 321,000 (2.2%) from 2019.
That was the bad news for labor unions.
The good news was that the percentage
of wage and salary workers who
were members of unions actually rose to
10.8% in 2020, up 0.5% from 2019.
At first glance, you might wonder if
T
that was a typo. How could the number
of union workers go down so drastically,
while the percentage of workers who belonged
to a union went up. It's not a mistake.
The seeming discrepancy is the result
of 9.6 million workers losing their jobs in
2020 in large part due to the COVID-19
pandemic. The vast majority of those who
did get laid off were non-union employees,
which meant union members made up a
larger portion of the now-reduced total labor
force at the end of the year.
An Up-and-Down History
It shouldn't be surprising that union
members were better able to keep their
jobs than their non-union counterparts.
After all, protecting workers' jobs is one
of the presumed benefits of union representation.
Still, unions do more for their
members than simply keep them on payrolls.
Over the years, unions have fought
for higher wages, safer working conditions,
shorter hours, better non-wage
benefits, greater training, and a host of
other things.
According
to
history.com, collective
bargaining performed extraordinarily
well after World War II, more than tripling
weekly earnings in manufacturing
between 1945 and 1970. Union workers
gained an unprecedented level of job
security against old age and illness, and
through contractual protections, greatly
strengthened their right to fair treatment
in the workplace. Although old employment
records are difficult to verify, a
couple of sources suggested the percentage
of U.S. workers belonging to a union
peaked in the early- to mid-1950s at almost
35%. Although the percentage had
4
declined by the end of the 1970s, the total
number of union members reportedly
peaked in 1979 at an estimated 21 million.
That's when the Reagan administration
put its thumb on the non-union side
of the scale. President Reagan famously
busted the air traffic controllers strike in
1981, and by the end of his second term
only 16.8% of American workers were
unionized-less than half the share recorded
during organized labor's heyday.
The trend has continued downward for
the most part ever since.
Making a Difference for Utility
Workers
Labor unions have long been a part of the
power industry landscape. In fact, utility
workers are among the most unionized
occupation categories at 20.6%, behind
only protective service occupations
(36.6%); education, training, and library
occupations (35.9%); and public sector
employees (34.8%).
The National Brotherhood of Electrical
Workers (NBEW) was founded in 1891. Its
first convention drew only 10 delegates,
but those " founding fathers " understood
that in order to win better treatment from
the large corporate telephone, telegraph,
electric power, electrical contracting, and
electrical equipment manufacturing companies,
they would all need to stand together.
Over the next decade, the NBEW would
see its membership grow to more than
1,700 workers including an all-women's local
in Cleveland, Ohio, and a local in Ottawa,
Canada, which led to the union changing its
name to the International Brotherhood of
Electrical Workers (IBEW) in 1899.
" Our organization's goal has remained
steady since our beginning: to promote
excellence in the electrical industry and
improve our members' lives, " IBEW International
President Lonnie Stephenson
wrote in the opening of a history document
about the IBEW. " We will never
forget all the work done by our predecessors
to build and grow this organization.
Their fight for a standard of living
proportionate to their skills and integrity
continues to this day, " he added.
The IBEW claims to represent about
www.powermag.com
775,000 active members and retirees
from a wide variety of fields, including utilities,
construction, telecommunications,
broadcasting, manufacturing, railroads,
and government. However, it is not the
only union that represents power industry
workers. Another is the Utility Workers
Union of America (UWUA), which says it
represents about 50,000 active members
employed in the energy, electric, gas,
steam, water, and related professional,
technical, and service industries.
Working Together with Employers
In an exclusive interview with POWER,
UWUA President James T. Slevin said
there is a common misperception surrounding
employer and organized labor
interactions. Slevin suggested many people
believe there is a contentious atmosphere
between the groups, but he said,
" That's not true. We have some great relationships
with employers and strive in
common goals with the employers. "
Slevin said, " Employers are realizing that
organized labor brings a lot to the table. "
Union workers are not only skilled, but also
devoted to their craft. They typically provide
great stability to the workforce, and often
remain in their field for lifelong careers. They
also bring a sense of pride to the industry.
" Some of that's missing today, and I think
unions and companies that work in common
goals have that in a way, " Slevin said.
Although the power landscape is changing,
with more renewable energy resources
being added to the grid, while conventional
coal-fired and nuclear plants are being retired,
Slevin suggested workers from the
thermal power stations still offer great
value to the industry. " I consider our utility
workers veterans of energy, " he said. " No
disrespect to our men and women in the
armed service, but these are veterans of
energy. They've provided for the communities
and safeguarded the communities over
decades. And just like our armed service
veterans-we shouldn't throw them on the
street-and we shouldn't forget about our
utility workers as we change and we do a
different fashion today. " ■
-Aaron Larson is POWER's
executive editor.
POWER | March 2021
http://www.history.com http://www.powermag.com
POWER March 2021

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