In this July 2021 paper, Steven K. Ashby, Professor of Labor Studies at the University of Illinois, makes a compelling case for why democracy within unions is so crucial to the success of the labor movement.
Ashby also describes the various types of actions often utilized by union leadership that threaten democracy and member participation. Corruption, bloated officer salaries, lack of transparency, manipulation of the membership and bullying the rank-and-file are all discussed in Ashby’s report.
You can read Union Democracy in Today’s Labor Movement here.