Some good news today as fresh numbers come out showing, for the first time in 25 years, union density actually increased over the previous year, inching up from 12 percent to 12.1 percent. The gains were concentrated among white women and black men, in the West (the story here is partially large gains in California outweighing declines as manufacturing continues to collapse throughout the Midwest), and in the construction, health, education, and retail sectors. Manufacturing, amazingly, has been so decimated that your average manufacturing employee is less likely to be unionized than another American worker picked at random. Given that the manufacturing sector was once the backbone of the union economy, that's real testament to how ruined the old order is, and how impressive even these small gains are. Now, one year does not a trend make, and the uptick is unquestionably minor. But still: Gains for the first time in 25 years. And centered around the fast-growing, immigrant-heavy economies of the West. That's meaningful, and may suggest that Labor is finally figuring out a new model they can use to move forward. In celebration, here's a link to Chris Hayes' beautiful essay, "In Search of Solidarity."
