Building the Labor Movement Builds an Economy That Works for All

As we consider what 2025 has in store for America’s economic and political system, the labor movement remains focused on what we’ve always done: building a more democratic economy. Working people want to be treated fairly, with decent family-sustaining wages and benefits, safe jobs, dignity, and equal opportunity. Unions deliver those fundamentals and far more—giving every worker a voice on the job and hope for their future. 

Right now, the economy isn’t working for working-class Americans. We have seen record corporate profits accrue wealth to billionaires and we’ve been left behind and abandoned by a government that gives more benefits to CEOs than to those who do the work. But we know that our economy can be different. We have seen that we as workers have power to change how our economy works through organizing, through collective bargaining, and sometimes through the picket line. 

This is why the labor movement is on the rise—because people see its power to transform the economic system. In a deeply divided country that just split an election 50 to 49 percent, an overwhelming 70  percent of Americans support the labor movement¹—more than support any other institution in American life. Why? Because the vast majority of Americans who work for a living, those who expect to in the future, or those who are retired see that joining a union means the path to a better life and a way to address what workers have been demanding for too long—a fair share of the prosperity and a seat at the table to affect decisions about their work. Strong unions deliver on these promises and ensure we enjoy opportunity, fair treatment, and economic security throughout our lives. 

We also know which economic policies don’t work—the ones that have alienated working people for decades. Deregulation and the destruction of a government’s capacity to act for the common good is not a path to growth. It is a path back to the financial crisis of 2008, which was fueled by poorly regulated banking, and back to 2020, which found us stranded with no personal protective equipment and no vaccines. An economy without truth or accountability is not a path to freedom but a path to greater despair for working people. And asking unregulated markets dominated by billionaires and giant corporations to solve climate change, create responsible AI, or reduce inequality and economic insecurity will only exacerbate those problems. When people see their government abandoning them on those critical issues, it fuels the same anger that undermines our democracy.

When workers have a seat at the table—and the freedom to exercise their collective bargaining power—we achieve better policy outcomes. Common sense tells us that billionaires and corporations should pay more in taxes than teachers and hospital workers. That guardrails and labor-centered strategies on AI and automation will make all of us better off. And that when workers see opportunities for good-paying, career-building union jobs in the climate transition, we help lead the movement for a greener planet. When workers have an economy that works for them, we will see more hope and less cynicism and fear.   

For all these reasons, it’s critical for the health of our society and our democracy for workers to have the protections they need to organize and collectively bargain. Unions are the most grassroots of organizations, bringing together people in solidarity at a workplace and democratically determining pay and working conditions. But we need our legal system to protect our ability to organize, to make sure that companies actually come to the table once a union is formed to negotiate the first contract, and to protect contracts once they are negotiated. We will organize and mobilize for these protections at all levels of government. While there may be continued challenges and attacks nationally, we are ready to stand up and defend our federally guaranteed rights and to continue to make progress in our states, cities, and counties. 

Our mission and goal doesn’t change regardless of who is in office. We are always on the side of people who work for a living. We are always striving for people to have better jobs and family-sustaining wages, and we will continue to fight for that ideal—for an economy that works for everyone.