In 1960, about one-third of the American workforce
was represented by unions. Today, that fi gure is
about 11 percent. Collective bargaining, established
to protect the interests of workers, has led to some
disappointments. Not surprisingly, federal and
state regulations governing work practices have
exploded as union membership has declined.
The variety of protections is prodigious: antidiscrimination
laws, wage and hour laws, worker
safety laws, unemployment compensation, workers’
compensation, and social security, to name a few.