It’s a tough time for unions in the age of Trump — cities and states can help

On Labor Day, it’s worth considering: how can we bolster unions in the U.S.?  

Unions have a better public image today than they have in generations. Yet because of fierce corporate opposition and weak federal laws, the share of workers who are union members is way down — around 10 percent of workers nationwide.

Workers themselves have always led the way in building collective power, but laws and government shape the landscape. It’s nice when political leaders attend a Labor Day picnic or parade, and it’s moving when they wax eloquent about the dignity of work. But right now, we need so much more.

Sadly, the Trump administration is taking a bat to workers’ rights, reducing wage theft enforcement, shrinking the Department of Labor and weakening the National Labor Relations Board, which enforces workers’ right to unionize. With Washington hostile and the Supreme Court’s right-wing majority averse to working people, that leaves cities and states. 

Some Democratic state leaders have betrayed working people, but many others are trying mightily. Unfortunately, federal law sharply limits their ability to regulate labor relations. New York learned this in July when a federal court blocked a new law granting additional power to the state in this area.

The needle-threading maneuver, then, is for state and local governments to find ways to boost unionization that won’t get slapped down in federal court. Plenty of labor experts have proposed creative and innovative ideas. 

Here’s a new one: a deceptively simple, under-the-radar idea that requires no legislation and costs almost nothing. State and local governments can help people unionize by simply helping to organize workers. Specifically, they can host meetups between workers and local unions, and they can teach the public about unions.

For starters, do you know how you would form a union in your workplace? Most........

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