Building labor’s independent political power – Communist Party USA

Report on the State of the U.S. Labor Movement and Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals

Report Date: October 11, 2025

This report analyzes the current challenges facing the United States labor movement, assessing the impact of recent administrative actions on workers’ rights and the broader Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It evaluates the labor movement’s response and proposes a path forward centered on strengthening democratic institutions and achieving decent work for all.

I. Current Challenges to Labor Rights and Sustainable Development

The current political administration’s policies represent a significant challenge to the working class, undermining key principles of the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly those related to poverty, health, equality, and decent work.

A. Erosion of Decent Work and Economic Growth (SDG 8)

Recent policies have directly targeted established labor protections, threatening progress towards ensuring decent work and inclusive economic growth.

• Union-Busting and Suppression of Collective Bargaining: The administration has enacted measures described as the largest union-busting act in U.S. history, removing collective bargaining rights from over one million federal workers.
• Weakening of Labor Institutions: The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has been systematically undermined, weakening the primary institution designed to protect workers’ rights to organize.
• Economic Policies Impacting Employment: Policies favoring corporate interests have been implemented, contributing to inflation and job loss, which directly contravenes the objective of full and productive employment for all.

B. Increased Inequalities and Social Injustice (SDG 10, SDG 5)

A concurrent cultural and political offensive has exacerbated existing inequalities, targeting vulnerable populations and hindering progress on SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities) and SDG 5 (Gender Equality).

• Targeting of Immigrant Workers: Aggressive immigration enforcement actions, including ICE raids in workplaces and communities, have created a climate of fear and instability for immigrant workers and their families.
• Discrimination Against Marginalized Groups: A widespread cultural war is being waged against African Americans, Latinos, women, and the LGBTQ community, undermining social cohesion and equal opportunity.

C. Threats to Public Health, Well-being, and Poverty Reduction (SDG 3, SDG 1)

Cuts to social safety nets have a direct negative impact on the health and economic stability of working families.

• Reduction in Healthcare and Social Programs: Significant slashes to government programs and healthcare access threaten the well-being of millions, pushing more families towards poverty and poor health outcomes.
• Federal Worker Layoffs: Mass layoffs of federal workers have destabilized households and communities, contributing to economic precarity.

II. Assessment of the Labor Movement’s Response

The U.S. labor movement’s reaction to these challenges has been characterized by a notable disparity between grassroots activism and national leadership strategies.

A. Grassroots Militancy and New Organizing

A resilient and growing spirit of activism is evident at the rank-and-file level, demonstrating a commitment to advancing SDG 8.

1. Successful Organizing Campaigns: There is a surge in new union organizing across various sectors, including auto workers in Kentucky, Starbucks employees nationwide, and hotel and healthcare workers. A recent victory by 32,000 home healthcare workers in Michigan with SEIU marks the largest organizing win in decades.
2. Youth Engagement and Coalition Building (SDG 17): A new generation of young, militant labor activists is emerging. These activists emphasize class-struggle unionism and recognize the importance of building partnerships with community organizations, particularly in defense of immigrant workers.

B. Institutional and Leadership Challenges

The movement’s overall effectiveness is hampered by systemic weaknesses and a cautious approach from some national leaders.

• Low Union Density: With union density at a low of 9%, the labor movement’s capacity to lead a broad-based response is limited.
• Hesitant National Leadership: The response from the national leadership of most unions and the AFL-CIO has not consistently matched the intensity of the administration’s anti-worker agenda.
• Fragmented Industrial Policy: In the absence of a unified, pro-worker industrial policy, some industrial unions have sought narrow agreements with the administration to protect jobs, highlighting a strategic division.

III. Strategic Recommendations for Advancing the SDGs

To counter the current threats and advance a pro-worker agenda, the labor movement must pursue a strategy of mass mobilization, independent political action, and international solidarity.

A. Build Independent Political Power and Strengthen Democratic Institutions (SDG 16)

A primary objective must be to build political power independent of corporate-aligned parties to defend and strengthen democratic rights and institutions.

1. Run Labor Candidates for Office: Trade unionists and party members are urged to run for office in the 2026 midterm elections on a platform that explicitly challenges corporate monopoly power and inequality.
2. Defend Democratic Rights: The movement must lead a unified defense against anti-democratic trends that threaten the foundation of a just and peaceful society.

B. Enhance International Solidarity and Partnerships for Peace (SDG 17, SDG 16)

The domestic struggle for workers’ rights is interconnected with the global fight against imperialism and for peace.

• Engage with International Labor Bodies: Collaboration with organizations like the World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU) is essential to reaffirming a commitment to class-struggle unionism, democracy, and peace.
• Support Global Peace Initiatives: U.S. labor bodies, such as the Oregon AFL-CIO and National Nurses, are taking positive steps by passing resolutions demanding a ceasefire and arms embargo in conflict zones like Gaza, aligning with the peace component of SDG 16.

C. Prioritize Organizing and Unity

The core task is to foster a unified and militant labor movement capable of achieving transformative change.

• Organize the Unorganized: A large-scale, committed effort to organize unorganized workers is necessary to reverse the decline in union density and build working-class power.
• Connect Economic and Political Crises: The movement must clearly articulate the connection between the economic struggles of workers and the broader political crisis, fighting for unity around a winning strategy to advance class struggle against a system that enables inequality and conflict.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth: The article is fundamentally about labor rights, working conditions, and economic justice. It discusses union-busting, the stripping of collective bargaining rights, job losses, and the struggle for pro-worker policies, all of which are central to SDG 8.
• SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities: The text explicitly mentions a “cultural war targeting African Americans, Latinos, women, and the LGBTQ community” and the “terrorization of immigrant workers.” This directly addresses the goal of reducing inequalities based on race, origin, gender, and other statuses.
• SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions: The article highlights a “drive toward fascism,” the “gutting the National Labor Relations Board” (a key institution for justice in labor), a “rigged legal framework,” and the need to defend “democratic rights.” It also touches on international peace through calls for a “ceasefire and arms embargo.”
• SDG 5: Gender Equality: The article specifically notes that the ongoing “cultural war” is “targeting… women,” which connects the issues to the broader goal of achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

1. Target 8.5: Achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all. The article’s discussion of “mass lay-offs,” “job loss,” and the need for a “true working-class centered industrial policy” directly relates to this target’s aim for full and productive employment.
2. Target 8.8: Protect labour rights and promote safe and secure working environments for all workers. This is the most prominent target. The article details attacks on labor rights, such as “stripping collective bargaining rights from over one million federal workers,” “rampant union-busting,” and a “rigged legal framework.” The efforts to organize unions and fight for pro-worker legislation are actions aimed at achieving this target.

SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

1. Target 10.2: Empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all, irrespective of race, ethnicity, origin, or other status. The article points to the regression of this target by describing the “terrorization of immigrant workers” and a “cultural war targeting African Americans, Latinos, women, and the LGBTQ community.”
2. Target 10.3: Ensure equal opportunity and reduce inequalities of outcome. The “anti-worker policies” and discriminatory “cultural war” mentioned in the article are practices that undermine equal opportunity. The fight for “pro-worker legislation” is an attempt to promote policies that ensure equality.

SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

1. Target 16.3: Promote the rule of law and ensure equal access to justice. The article’s reference to a “rigged legal framework” and the “gutting the National Labor Relations Board” indicates a breakdown in the rule of law and access to justice for the working class.
2. Target 16.7: Ensure responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative decision-making. The call for “trade unionists and party members [to] run for office in the 2026 midterms” is a direct strategy to make decision-making more inclusive and representative of the working class.
3. Target 16.10: Ensure public access to information and protect fundamental freedoms. The struggle to defend “collective bargaining rights” is a fight to protect the fundamental freedom of association, which is a core component of this target.

SDG 5: Gender Equality

1. Target 5.5: Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership. The article’s mention of a “cultural war targeting… women” highlights a direct threat to women’s participation and equality in public and economic life.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

• Implied Indicator for Target 8.8 (related to official indicator 8.8.2 on freedom of association and collective bargaining): The article provides a direct quantitative measure of union participation with the statement about the “crisis of union density, at a dismal 9%.” This percentage serves as a key indicator of the state of labor rights.
• Implied Indicator for Target 8.8: The number of workers successfully organizing is an indicator of progress. The article provides a specific example: “32,000 home healthcare workers in Michigan organized and won their union.”

SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

• Implied Indicator for Target 10.3: The article implies the existence of discriminatory actions that could be measured, such as the frequency and scale of “ICE raids” in working-class communities, which disproportionately affect immigrant and Latino populations.

SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

• Implied Indicator for Target 16.3 & 16.7: The article implies an indicator related to the effectiveness and integrity of justice institutions. The “gutting the National Labor Relations Board” suggests a qualitative indicator of the weakening of institutions designed to protect workers’ rights.
• Implied Indicator for Target 16.7: The number of “trade unionists and party members” who “run for office” and are elected could serve as an indicator for measuring progress towards more representative decision-making.

4. Create a table with three columns titled ‘SDGs, Targets and Indicators” to present the findings from analyzing the article.

Source: cpusa.org