Report on “We Are the Union” by Eric Blanc: An Analysis Through the Lens of the Sustainable Development Goals

Introduction: Labor Decline and its Impact on Sustainable Development

A review of Eric Blanc’s 2025 book, “We Are the Union,” highlights a critical challenge to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly those concerning economic and social equity. The analysis centers on the decline of the trade union movement in the United States, which has significant implications for several SDGs. The report notes a precipitous drop in private-sector union density from approximately 34.5% in the early 1950s to 5.9% in 2024, with an overall density of 9.9% when including the public sector. This decline is presented as a primary driver of systemic issues that contravene the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Core Thesis: Connecting Labor Strength to SDG Achievement

The book’s central argument posits that a revitalized labor movement is essential for addressing multifaceted global challenges. The weakness of organized labor is directly correlated with failures to advance key development goals.

SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

The analysis strongly asserts that the erosion of union power is a root cause of soaring economic inequality. Unions are identified as the primary mechanism for ordinary people to counter corporate power and ensure a more equitable distribution of wealth, directly aligning with Target 10.4 to adopt wage and social protection policies to achieve greater equality.

Interconnected Social Crises and the SDGs

The report links the power imbalance between labor and capital to a range of social problems that undermine sustainable development, including:

• SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities): Racial injustice is framed as a problem exacerbated by economic power disparities.
• SDG 13 (Climate Action): Climate change is presented as having deep roots in an economic system where corporate interests are not effectively countered by collective worker power.
• SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions): Issues such as excessive military spending and the rise of right-wing authoritarianism are tied to the same power imbalance.

A Proposed Model for Revitalization: “Worker-to-Worker” Organizing

Blanc’s primary solution to reinvigorate the labor movement is a shift in organizing strategy. This new model is evaluated for its potential to build the institutional strength required by SDG 16.

Critique of Current Models

The traditional, staff-driven model of union organizing is deemed financially unsustainable and incapable of achieving the scale necessary to restore labor’s influence. This inefficiency represents a failure to build the effective and inclusive institutions called for in SDG 16.

The “Worker-to-Worker” Framework

The proposed alternative is a decentralized, peer-based model defined as one where “workers initiate and/or train an organizing drive, and they play a central role in determining its major decisions.” This approach is presented as a more democratic, scalable, and cost-effective method for advancing SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), specifically Target 8.8, which aims to protect labor rights and promote secure working environments.

1. Scalability: This model is argued to be the only viable path to massively increase union density and restore bargaining power.
2. Technological Integration: The use of modern digital resources is crucial for connecting geographically dispersed workforces, a growing challenge in the modern economy.
3. Empirical Support: The book provides case studies (Burgerville, Colectivo, News Guild, Starbucks) and data on low staff-to-worker ratios in successful campaigns to validate the model’s effectiveness.

Critical Assessment: Limitations in Scope and Vision for the 2030 Agenda

While the proposed model is seen as a positive step, the analysis identifies significant limitations in the book’s framework, suggesting it falls short of the holistic and interconnected approach required by the SDGs.

Insufficient Focus on Broader Social Justice

A major critique is that the book’s focus remains on “radical, member-driven business unionism” rather than a comprehensive “labor movement” committed to broader social justice. This narrow vision limits its potential impact on the full spectrum of SDGs.

• The model prioritizes winning contracts for specific members, which, while a step forward for SDG 8, does not inherently address systemic issues like racial injustice (SDG 10) or climate change (SDG 13) for society at large.
• It fails to distinguish between “trade unionism” (serving members’ interests) and “social justice unionism” (advancing the interests of all working people and oppressed groups).

Neglect of Global Partnerships and International Context

The report criticizes the book’s exclusively nationalist scope, which is seen as a hindrance in an era of globalization. This approach runs counter to SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).

• There is no consideration of lessons from international labor struggles, such as those in the Philippines or South Africa.
• This insular focus ignores the global context in which worker struggles occur and misses opportunities for building global solidarity to magnify power and achieve shared goals.

Demographic and Inclusivity Gaps

The analysis points out a demographic bias in the book’s case studies, which undermines the core SDG principle of “leaving no one behind.”

• The focus is primarily on younger, college-educated workers in the service sector.
• It overlooks the struggles of older, less-educated industrial workers displaced by globalization, failing to address the needs of some of the most vulnerable populations in the pursuit of SDG 1 (No Poverty) and SDG 8 (Decent Work for All).

Conclusion: A Valuable but Incomplete Framework

The report concludes that “We Are the Union” offers a valuable and practical model for advancing specific targets within SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth) and strengthening institutional capacity in line with SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions). The “worker-to-worker” organizing strategy is a significant contribution to discussions on revitalizing labor.

However, its overall vision is assessed as limited. To fully contribute to the 2030 Agenda, a labor movement must adopt a broader social justice mission, embrace global partnerships as outlined in SDG 17, and ensure its strategies are inclusive of all segments of the working population. The self-initiative of workers organizing for their own benefit is a crucial step, but it is not sufficient to build the transformative social force needed to address the interconnected challenges of inequality, climate change, and injustice.

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

1. SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

   • The article is fundamentally about the state of the trade union movement, which is a core component of ensuring decent work. It discusses strategies for “revitalizing labor” through unionization to improve workers’ power and conditions.
   • It explicitly addresses the decline of union power and its consequences for workers, framing unions as “ordinary people’s main tool to counter corporate greed.”

2. SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

   • The article directly links the weakness of organized labor to rising inequality. It states, “Inequality soars when organized labor is weak.”
   • It also addresses inequality along racial lines, noting that “racial injustice” is a dire social problem rooted in the power imbalance between workers and bosses. The author criticizes the book for not sufficiently emphasizing the need to challenge “white supremacy and racism or any form of oppression in union organizing fights.”

3. SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

   • The article connects the weakness of the labor movement to broader societal issues like “right-wing authoritarianism” and “sky-high military spending.”
   • It discusses the role of governmental institutions in protecting labor rights, specifically mentioning “Joe Biden’s governmental policies, especially regarding the pro-worker National Labor Relations Board.”
   • The critique of the “staff-driven model” of union organizing in favor of a “worker-to-worker” model is a call for more democratic, participatory, and representative decision-making within the unions themselves, which are key civil society institutions.

4. SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

   • The review criticizes the book for its “nationalist scope in a time of globalization,” arguing that it is a “hindrance, not a help.”
   • It explicitly advocates for global partnerships and learning from international labor movements, stating, “I know there’s a lot to be learned from the KMU Labor Center of the Philippines and the Congress of South African Trade Unions.” This highlights the need for global solidarity to strengthen workers’ struggles.

5. SDG 13: Climate Action

   • Climate change is mentioned as one of the “dire social problems” with “deep roots into the power imbalance between workers and bosses.”
   • It is also identified as a key issue driving youth activism and radicalization, which the book suggests could be a positive force for unionization efforts.

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

1. SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

   • Target 8.8: Protect labour rights and promote safe and secure working environments for all workers. The entire article focuses on the importance of trade unions and collective bargaining (freedom of association) as the primary means to protect labor rights. The discussion of declining union density and strategies to increase it directly addresses this target.

2. SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

   • Target 10.2: By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status. The article’s critique that the book should have put more emphasis on “challenging white supremacy and racism” within union fights directly relates to promoting racial inclusion.
   • Target 10.4: Adopt policies, especially fiscal, wage and social protection policies, and progressively achieve greater equality. The article presents unions as a primary non-governmental force for achieving greater equality, acting as a “main tool to counter corporate greed” and correct the “power imbalance between workers and bosses.”

3. SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

   • Target 16.7: Ensure responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative decision-making at all levels. The core argument of the reviewed book, which the author supports, is the shift from a “staff-driven model” to a “worker-to-worker” model where “workers initiate and/or train an organizing drive, and they play a central role in determining its major decisions.” This is a direct call for more participatory and representative decision-making within unions.

4. SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

   • Target 17.17: Encourage and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships, building on the experience and resourcing strategies of partnerships. The review’s call to move beyond a “nationalist scope” and learn from global labor movements like those in the Philippines and South Africa is an argument for building international civil society partnerships to achieve common goals.

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

1. For SDG 8 (Target 8.8)

   • Indicator: Union Density Rate. The article provides specific quantitative data that serves as a direct indicator for the level of freedom of association and collective bargaining. It states that “union density continues its slide in the private sector of the economy from about 34.5 percent of the non-agricultural workforce in the early 1950s to 5.9 percent in 2024,” and that “the overall union density in 2024 was 9.9 percent.” This metric is used to measure the failure of the current union movement.

2. For SDG 10 (Target 10.4)

   • Indicator: Union Density as a Proxy for Inequality. While not a direct measure of inequality like the Gini coefficient, the article uses union density as an inverse indicator. The statement “Inequality soars when organized labor is weak” implies that tracking the union density rate (9.9% in 2024) is a way to measure the structural forces contributing to inequality.

3. For SDG 16 (Target 16.7)

   • Indicator: Ratio of Staff to Workers in Organizing Campaigns. The article implies a metric for measuring the level of participatory decision-making in union drives. It notes that in the book, the author “lists several worker-to-worker victories and provides the (low) ratio of staff to workers in them.” A lower ratio would indicate a more participatory, worker-led model, aligning with the target.

SDGs, Targets and Indicators

Source: countercurrents.org