1 min read

Season 4, Episode 36

Union membership jumped 38 percent in Tennessee in 2022

Picture of awfblog awfblog February 20, 2023

Labor Issues America's Work Force Union Podcast Jobs AFL-CIO Labor-Management Economic Impact Union Responsibilities Union Issues

aflcio_tennessee

 

Guest Name:

Billy Dycus

Guest Website:

https://tnaflcio.org/ 

Guest Social Media:

Facebook

Twitter

YouTube

LinkedIn

Mentions:

Billy Dycus, President of the Tennessee AFL-CIO, joined America’s Work Force Union Podcast and discussed the growing organized labor movement in the State of Tennessee. 

In 2022, the Volunteer State saw a 38 percent increase in union membership, which pushed the overall number of union members in Tennessee to nearly 163,000. Dycus said organized labor has a negative sentiment among many Tennessee residents. Despite the bad connotations, unions capitalized on favorable conditions and increased their membership last year. He believes much of the mentality change can be attributed to the realization that workers did not have as many rights as they believed during the pandemic.

Dycus said the automotive and construction industries led the charge and significantly increased their union membership. Ford’s BlueOval City Project, which is still under construction, led to a greater need for more union construction workers. Many non-union construction workers were organized into Local Unions and now receive training to improve their skillset. Ford announced it will allow UAW card checks at their facility, he added. 

The largest growth in union membership occurred in workers between the ages of 18-24, Dycus said. With a focus on activism and a willingness to improve their livelihood, these younger members are the catalyst for progress organized labor in Tennesse has needed. He believes these younger union members could impact the way residents of Tennessee work in much the same way the labor movement in the 1950s and 1960s changed the lives of workers.

Listen to the entire episode to learn more about these topics.

America’s Work Force is the only daily labor podcast in the US and has been on the air since 1993, supplying listeners with useful, relevant input into their daily lives through fact-finding features, in-depth interviews, informative news segments and practical consumer reports. America’s Work Force is committed to providing an accessible venue in which America's workers and their families can hear discussion on important, relevant topics such as employment, healthcare, legislative action, labor-management relations, corporate practices, finances, local and national politics, consumer reports and labor issues.

America’s Work Force Union Podcast is brought to you in part by our sponsors: AFL-CIO, American Federation of Government Employees, American Federation of Musicians Local 4, American Alliance for Manufacturing, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, Columbus/Central Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council, Communication Workers of America, International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers, International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers Local 50, International Brotherhood of Teamsters, International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Crafts, International Union of Painters and Allied Trades District Council 6, Ironworkers Great Lakes District Council, The Labor Citizen newspaper, Laborers International Union of The National Labor Office of Blue Cross and Blue Shield, North America, North Coast Area Labor Federation, Ohio Federation of Teachers, Survey and Ballot Systems, United Labor Agency, United Steelworkers.

SUBSCRIBE ON:

Group 342

Group 341

Group 343

Group 339

Group 397

Group 397