Senior Fellow for the Democracy Collaborative, Marjorie Kelly, joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast to talk about the organization and what they do to help improve the U.S. workforce. Kelly also discussed the change in how workers were excluded from the operation of a business and the need for corporations to evolve.
Democracy Collaborative is a national non-profit organization that works to promote a more democratic economy that works for all Americans. The organization works in the physical industry to help develop new ideas for continued advancement. The collaborative seeks to end the war on workers and provide the protections needed for a genuinely democratic workplace, Kelly said.
The Labor movement showed a lot of progress until the 1980s when massive layoffs began, and unions were being pushed out of the workplace. At the time, wages were becoming a smaller percentage of income for businesses, while profits soared. This practice removes workers from the daily operations of the business. Kelly said it has created a structural bias in the workplace, with workers being the last concern.
There have been several ideas batted about how to make impactful changes. The need for corporations to evolve an option that would lead to a democratic economy. A workers' council, like those in many plants in Germany, has been a widespread effort to find a way to get into the boardroom to influence decisions. While unions were made more difficult to join, these councils became more challenging to form. Kelly believes until unions become more accessible, workers will be left on the outside looking in.
Listen to the show above for more information on workplace improvements for workers.