Recently union members marched in protest against the National Labor Relations Board in Washington DC and in front of nineteen regional offices, demanding that the board “close down for renovations.” It was hard to know if the protestors were simply being shrill or just plain silly. Their efforts were certainly frivolous and inept.
Organized labor is apparently upset that its membership rolls have dropped dramatically since the 1950s. During that decade more than 35% or workers were unionized, and today that figure is 12%, which represents many governmental workers.
And now that the terms of three of the members of the NLRB will soon expire, organized labor is worried that President Bush might appoint new members who will be pro-business. Organized labor believes that if they shout loudly enough, they can force Congress to object to any appointees chosen by the president.
Rather than looking at the themselves as the source of their problems, organized labor is blaming the NLRB for its diminished influence. It is obvious to all but the most myopic union officials that the union message no longer offers much promise to workers.
Yelling and protesting will not augment union membership rolls. Indeed, until organized labor realizes that its future lies in developing a cooperative partnership with Corporate America it will continue to lose members.
