Unions Gain Latino Members, Could Be Unions' Saving Grace
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People of color used to not be allowed to join unions. Now, non-whites could be unions' only hope of survival.
While unions are still about 70 percent white, that is beginning to change.
Unions lost a record-breaking 547,000 white members in 2012. Meanwhile, membership increased among other races -- particularly Latino. In 2012, unions gained 156,000 new Latino members, 82,000 new black members and 45,000 new Asian members, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data sent to The Huffington Post.
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And a key immigrant aspiration is a pathway to citizenship. "The unions have switched gears completely and are now advocating for immigration reform," Gould said. And so far, it's worked.
"Latino workers have proved receptive to organized labor's message, and demographic changes may also help build unions in other states, such as Nevada and even Texas," John Logan, director of Labor and Employment Studies at San Francisco State University, told HuffPost.
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http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/25/unions-latino-members-saving-grace_n_2543486.html
California unions grow, bucking U.S. trend
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Latino workers, demanding respect in a precarious job environment, helped boost the state's unionized workforce by 100,000 in 2012.
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http://articles.latimes.com/2013/jan/24/business/la-fi-california-labor-20130124