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When Corporations Behave Badly, People More Receptive To Union Message September 18, 2002 Union organizers have a unique opportunity during these times of corporate wrongdoing: a recent poll finds workers are more likely to embrace unions for their job protection and retirement benefits. A survey for AFL-CIO shows that 50 percent of nonunion workers say they want to join a union, the highest level in two decades. Enron and WorldCom demonstrated to many that no matter how hard they worked or how loyal they are to their employer, when the company falls on hard times, workers are left behind while unscrupulous executives pick the bones of the once-mighty corporate giant. The majority of workers at Enron and WorldCom were nonunion, but the AFL-CIO has provided legal help to worker groups seeking fair severance pay. The intervention won Enron workers millions of collective dollars they would not likely have received otherwise. The poll also found that 66 percent of workers said they trusted their employers just some or not much at all, suggesting to labor experts that workers may conclude they need collective protections to safeguard them from predatory executives and economic downturns. "A union contract gives you an enforceable right," said labor attorney Hanan Kolko, whose law firm represents unions. "It gives people protection from unfair treatment." Fifty-eight percent of young workers aged 18 to 34 responded they would vote for a union if given the chance. Workers represented by unions are more likely than nonunion workers to have defined benefit retirement plans, better known as pensions, as opposed to defined contribution plans like 401(k)s. Often such plans are so heavily weighted with company stock, workers retirement nest eggs could be wiped out if the company goes under.
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