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.