Jennifer Sherer, Deputy Director of the Economic Analysis and Research Network (EARN) at the Economic Policy Institute, joined the America's Work Force Union Podcast to discuss workers' rights. Sherer highlighted the urgent need for state-level action to protect workers, the importance of union organizing and the ongoing threats to labor standards under the current administration.
Sherer emphasized the critical role of states in safeguarding workers' rights amid federal rollbacks. She pointed out that while many states have raised their minimum wages above the federal level, some still lack basic wage protections. This disparity leaves workers vulnerable, especially as the Trump administration seeks to weaken federal labor standards. Sherer urged state policymakers to review and strengthen their labor codes, noting that even states with traditionally strong protections may need to shore up their laws to counter federal threats.
Sherer then stressed the importance of union organizing, recounting her own experience in graduate employee unionization. She highlighted how such efforts laid the groundwork for today's surge in academic labor organizing. Sherer noted that while union density has declined since its peak, there are still opportunities for growth and resistance. She pointed to successful organizing campaigns in traditionally non-union states like Alabama as evidence of workers' continued desire for collective representation.
Addressing the current administration's attacks on workers, Sherer detailed how regulatory actions are being used to cut pay, promote workplace discrimination and weaken unions. She cited specific examples, such as blocking rules to phase out sub-minimum wages for workers with disabilities and attempts to allow states to opt out of federal minimum wage standards. Sherer emphasized that these actions are part of a broader corporate and authoritarian agenda that seeks to undermine workers' rights and collective power.
To hear more about the challenges facing workers and strategies for resistance, listen to the full episode with Jennifer Sherer.