Jane McAlevey’s quote in the article states the case clearly:
Some advocates believe that focusing on building union power through worker organizing, rather than first seeking policy changes, holds the key to reversing the decline of union density.
Jane McAlevey, a senior policy fellow of with the Labor Center at the University of California, Berkeley, puts the problem with union strategy bluntly: “It’s a lack of ambition and it’s risk aversion, but fundamentally, it’s a lack of faith in workers.” McAlevey argues labor’s priority should be organizing that targets strategic sectors with hard-to-replace workforces.
“We’re relying on the Democrats and Congress to change labor law,” McAlevey says. “Come on! When we do that, it’s a cop-out and it’s an excuse. We’re not in control of that. How we run campaigns and how we negotiate contracts — that’s what we’re in control of.
“My life argument is: Let’s fix what we can fix and stop trying to fix everything else that we can’t fix.”
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