In the United States, union membership is at a record low. In the decades following the union-busting, neoliberal policies of the Reagan-Thatcher era and increasing globalization, unions have struggled to maintain a major presence in American life, with only 10% of the US population holding union memberships. In my home state of North Carolina, that number is far lower, as unionized workers comprise a measly 3.1% of the population (indeed, the second-lowest membership rate in the nation). Particularly in NC, a long history of anti-labor laws (such as “right-to-work” laws) continue to make it difficult for unions to function, as collective bargaining is stripped and mandatory union membership fees are outlawed for employees in the public sector. 

Unions, with their inherent emphasis on the strength of collective action, face cultural resistance from a society that prioritizes rugged individualism. Yet, we’ve seen that, in the wake of the declining union membership and the weakening of collective action, economic inequality, hyperpartisanship, and anti-immigrant sentiment is rising to levels not seen since the Gilded Age. Furthermore, in an age of automation and the gig economy, workers are being further exploited with little to no legal recourse or representation.

The coronavirus crisis has, however, accelerated and revealed many of these antagonisms between capital and labor. Workers are refusing to go back to work for poverty wages. We’ve seen labor strikes among nurses, teachers, and auto workers as they’ve advocated for better working conditions (greater access to PPE, reasonable safety precautions in schools, and paycheck protection measures). As such, union employees were able to enjoy a greater sense of security and protection during this crisis, as they were laid off at a much lower rate than non-unionized workers. 

Workers around the country are taking the first steps to secure better conditions, and we’re beginning to see the potential for a renewed labor movement in the United States. Yet, with such a small percentage of the population exposed to unions, many younger Americans do not even know what a union is and how they benefit workers. While both Democrats and Republicans alike enact legislation that makes labor organizing difficult, we can take some inspiration and learn lessons from labor movements across the Atlantic. In his short treatise aptly titled Why You Should be a Trade Unionist, British trade unionist Len McCluskey makes his case for the vital importance of trade unions in fighting for economic justice for working-class people. 

Overview:

Focusing on the history of labor unions in the UK and their recent victories, the former General Secretary of Unite the Union Len McCluskey introduces the reader to the concept of unions, what they have to offer workers, and how they are intimately connected with activism and political change. McCluskey conveys that unions are not only a mediator representing worker’s interests, but also associations that promote solidarity and social cohesion within neighborhoods. Drawing upon his history within the Labour movement and trade union organizing, McCluskey’s brief and accessible book gives a quick overview of the role of labor unions in securing better working conditions and wages for workers, as well as how they can organize to win more labor rights in the future. 

In the process, McCluskey addresses the rise of automation and the gig economy, as workers have organized, fought against their exploitation, and won major victories. Focusing exclusively on trade unionism in the UK, McCluskey highlights the victories that Unite has secured over the decades, even in the face of austerity measures and union-busting. McCluskey argues that unions are a primary conduit for coalition-building and sustaining a longstanding political movement centered on solidarity, collective strength, and extending democracy into the workplace. In short, McCluskey argues, by organizing workers into a collective, unions give the worker a voice as they fight for labor rights and better working conditions for the working class. 

Commendations:

First of all, Why You Should be a Trade Unionist is a short, punchy introduction to the concept of trade unions. At just 140 pages, this book serves as a quick and useful primer for those who want to know more about the history of trade unionism in the UK, and how unions have fought for workers across the decades. McCluskey writes that unions serve to educate, organize, and advocate for the working class. Unions often help to educate workers and assist in collective bargaining, increasing the worker’s confidence in their knowledge of their rights.

While the perspective of the book is one-sided, McCluskey does a good job of relating to the reader by drawing much from his own life of growing up, working as a dockworker in Liverpool, and his subsequent history of working in trade unions. As such, the reader gets an insider’s perspective into the role of trade unions in British politics as McCluskey recounts the various strikes, negotiations, and political actions that trade unions have engaged in over the past several decades. This was undoubtedly interesting to learn more about the role of unions within the Labour Party, as well as the ever-present tensions and disagreements within the party.

Furthermore, I appreciated McCluskey’s emphasis on class consciousness. While he rightly praises the work of women -- particularly BAME (Black, Asian, and minority ethnic) women -- and the LGBTQ+ community for their vital contributions to the efforts of trade unions, he also rightly emphasizes the importance of class solidarity. McCluskey writes, “Progress for working people has only ever been achieved by the collective self-empowerment of organized labour, not through the accumulation of individual rights alone, however worthy they may be'' (14). This, in my view, is an important point to make, since a truly effective Left must mobilize and reprioritize organizing alongside the lines of labor and economic solidarity instead of being caught up only in ever-dividing, if intersectional, concerns of identity. Universal, collective action must be a priority for a truly effective Left if we hope to build strong, long-lasting coalitions across lines of particularist, individualized identity. Thus, trade unions offer a fantastic starting point for building solidarity to begin acting on these collectivist actions. 

Critique:

On the other hand, while it is a short, quick read, McCluskey’s account gets repetitive incredibly quickly. Most of his examples are either biographical/anecdotal or tied to recent union wins in Britain, which, while making it personal, is also a bit alienating to those of us outside of the UK, who don’t know the contexts of these events. By taking this Anglo-centric perspective, McCluskey fails to connect the struggles of British trade unions with the wider context of global labor movements. There’s no effort to make this account intersectional, instead of honing in on the decline and resurgence of trade unionism in McCluskey’s lifetime.  

As such, the chapters are a bit disorganized in their structure, and while McCluskey does a good job of describing trade unions as inclusive and progressive organizations, there’s not much about the inner workings of trade unions or how they function on a day-to-day ground level. We are also not privy to Most of McCluskey’s examples come from a small sample of unions (namely, almost exclusively the Transport and General Workers' Union and Unite the Union), which makes sense considering that he has spent much of his life working within these trade unions. 

Yet, at several points throughout the book, it read more as either an ad pitch for Unite or a personal glow-up campaign. The danger in writing exclusively from his history and perspective is that McCluskey tends to center himself in every battle, rather than connecting the British context to a wider global struggle for economic equality. As such, McCluskey fails to connect the role of trade unions in building a more expansive socialist movement and instead opts to portray trade unions as a useful corrective to the excesses of capitalist exploitation. While this gentler, more accommodating tone is most likely done to appeal to those who are either wholly uninformed or on the fence about the usefulness of trade unions, it also ignores the more radical role of trade unions and downplays McCluskey’s more left-wing leanings (most likely to not alienate more moderate readers). 

McCluskey also tends to pin his hopes on the resurgence of a hard leftist shift in Labour politics (notably on Corbyn’s leadership), which, since the book’s publication, we’ve seen was not the case. With the election of Sharon Graham as McCluskey’s successor to lead Unite (whom McCluskey explicitly campaigned against, instead endorsing Steve Turner), we see a division within Unite about the role of the union’s involvement within Labour Party politics. Whereas McCluskey sees Labour as a political arm of Unite, Graham is explicitly “not interested in the internal game playing within a political party,” focusing instead on workplace issues. In the wake of massive Tory victories in 2019, the internal divisions within the Labour Party, and the COVID crisis, much is yet to be seen just how the leadership of Unite will navigate an ever-shifting political and economic landscape. 

Conclusion: 

Overall, Why You Should be a Trade Unionist is a useful primer on the benefits of joining a trade union within an exclusively British context. While its limited scope and autobiographical elements make this book difficult to appeal to audiences outside of the UK, McCluskey’s book is a short, punchy, and clear manifesto on the importance of trade unions in fighting economic and social injustice. Unions, while just a starting point, are essential for a working-class left to begin organizing into a more cohesive, effective labor movement that can address the crises of capitalism and existential threats such as climate change. Poverty wages, precarious employment, and exploitative management practices do not have to define our economic landscape. Unions, in fighting for workers from the bottom-up, are an essential component of securing a better future for workers around the world.