Undaunted - Jennifer Rubin for The Contrarian
Each week, The Contrarian features a standout figure for democracy. For this week, we honor multiple figures that have organized to act as one: Unions.
snip
The engagement of labor unions is a positive sign for the future of American democracy. In its comprehensive study, Brookings scholars found that a key factor in determining whether a country goes the way of Poland (recovering its democracy) or the way of Hungary (descending into authoritarianism) is the existence of “diverse democracy alliances that include a wide range of civil society, state actors, political opposition, labor unions, the private sector, and members of the independent media.” It follows that if we want a robust defense of democracy, then pro-democracy advocates must “tackle economic inequality and improve well-being and opportunity across all demographic lines, including race, class, and geography.” And in the U.S., this requires “bolstering labor unions that are increasingly supported by the American public and critical to the health of our democracy and to addressing inequality.”
What is true in the U.S. is true throughout the democratic world.
“Unionism has played a central role in many democratic transitions in history, in countries as diverse as South Africa, Poland, and Spain. Chilean trade unions in particular played critical roles in resisting military dictatorship and reconstructing democracy,” according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
“This positive and mutually reinforcing relationship between democracy and trade unions also holds true today. Countries that are considered to be more democratic tend to be those with more robust industrial relations systems and with a strong culture of social dialogue.”
https://open.substack.com/pub/contrarian/p/undaunted-83e
https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/v4_democracy-playbook-2025.pdf