Unions are dying, but union advocates are hoping they have found a virtual solution. For the last two years, only 6.9 percent of private sector workers were unionized. Many view unions as outdated — helpful for eliminating sweatshop conditions in the early 20th century, but doing little more than contributing to bloated payrolls today. Union organizers are desperate to rebrand themselves, lest they become as irrelevant in today’s world as the pay phone and the VCR.
Is social media the answer? Relying heavily on Facebook and Twitter, a new movement, known as “alt-labor,” has sprung up. Alt-labor, short for “alternative labor,” refers to a method of organizing workers without traditional tactics and sometimes without unions. For example, a traditional union seeks to unionize a specific workplace, negotiate a collective bargaining agreement, and even go on strike if negotiations fail. Alt-labor goes about it differently, aiming its campaigns at specific industries (including quick-service restaurants, retail, and car washes) or nationwide or regional employers (all Walmart stores). Rather than following National Labor Relations Board procedures to initiate a union election and gain union representation, alt-labor groups attempt to gain public sympathy through high-visibility actions. Remember the strikes at Walmart on Black Friday in 2012 and the “fast food strikes” that escalated over the past year from New York City to 58 cities nationwide?
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