Last week, employees at a Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga voted overwhelmingly to join the United Automobile Workers, marking a symbolic victory for the labor movement. Historically, labor unions played a crucial role in fostering a more egalitarian society post-World War II.
The postwar era saw relative income and wealth equality in the US, attributed to the sudden rise and persistence of labor unions representing over 30% of workers, as highlighted by Claudia Goldin and Robert Margo.
The equality witnessed in the postwar era was not a gradual evolution but emerged sharply in the 1940s due to factors like wartime wage and price controls, which persisted even after their removal, emphasizing the impact of strong labor unions.
The rise of labor unions in the late 1940s was a significant factor in creating a more equal society in the US, a trend that continued until the 1980s and is seen as a crucial force for reducing income and wealth inequality.
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