Davion Johnson long realized that they and their colleagues deserved higher pay, fairer treatment, and greater respect at the Corning plant in Hemlock, Michigan.

But nothing drove home the need for change more than a supervisor’s callous response when a coworker fell from a ladder.

Instead of calling an ambulance, Johnson recalled, the supervisor threatened to dock the injured man a sick day if he left to seek care on his own.

An angry Johnson subsequently helped to lead 1,400 coworkers in a successful union drive with the United Steelworkers (USW). Now, they wield a collective voice on safety, pay, and other issues as they do the important work of manufacturing components for the nation’s solar industry.

Rampant inequality continues to fuel record support for unions nationwide. In all, 71 percent of Americans now approve of unions, and a growing number want organized labor to have more influence in American life, a new Gallup poll found.

Johnson’s experience shows why.

With costs of groceries, healthcare, utilities, and mortgages all skyrocketing,........

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