Sen. Bernie Sanders announced a plan Wednesday that he says will lift the nation’s lagging wages by restoring power to unions and protecting workers in the gig economy — both top items on the labor movement’s wish list.
The Workplace Democracy Act, co-sponsored by Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand (N.Y.), Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and 10 other Democrats, would make it easier for workers to organize, supporters say.
“It’s not a question of just jobs — it’s a question of what those jobs pay,” Sanders told The Washington Post. “Many of the occupations that are growing in this country do not pay workers a living wage.”
“What this bill is about,” he said, “is saying the American people believe that unions are a positive force for our economy.”
A worker covered by a union earns 13.2 percent more on average than someone with similar education, experience and responsibilities in a non-unionized job, a recent study from the Economic Policy Institute found.