A bitter dispute between grocers and labor unions in 2003 and 2004 led to a costly lockout and strike that lasted 141 days and was one of the most contentious labor disputes in recent Southern California history. Prolonged contract talks in 2011 almost led to a second strike. Seen here, locked out union clerks picket at an Albertsons market in Los Angeles’ Eagle Rock district Friday, Dec. 5, 2003. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)

Union members last year also protested outside UCI Medical Center in Orange. (Photo by Nick Agro, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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Vice President of SEIU Local 721 (Service Employees International Union), Linda Dent, of Long Beach, strike’s outside of the Riverside University Health System Medical Center in Moreno Valley, Ca., Wednesday, September 6, 2017. SEIU Local 721 was joined by former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa on the picket line. (Photo by John Valenzuela/Press Enterprise/SCNG)

Emergency room nurse Lynn Drilling, left, tries to get support from drivers as she and about 100 other nurses picket in front of Long Beach Memorial Medical Center and Miller ChildrenÕs and WomenÕs Hospital on Monday, June 24, 2019. The nurses are working with an expired contract and are asking for adjustments in staffing ratios, wages and whistle-blower protections. (Photo by Scott Varley, Daily Breeze/SCNG)

Ralphs produce manager Kenny Hungerford gets a hug from customer Sarah Witty during a two-hour boycott at the Ralphs in Euclid Street in Garden Grove, CA, on Wednesday, July 3, 2019. Witty, a former Winco cashier, said she didn’t cross the picket line because, “My husband is Union so I know what their going through”. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)



Members of Democratic Socialists of America Los Angeles picketing in front of Venice High School on Friday, Jan. 18. (Photo by Ariella Plachta)

Port truck drivers slow down traffic as they picket in front of the Evergreen Terminal on Terminal Island on Monday, Oct. 1, 2018. The drivers are continuing their battle of being classified as independent contractors of trucking companies rather than as employees. The pickets would intermittently slow truck traffic into and out of the terminal before allowing traffic to move. (Photo by Scott Varley, Daily Breeze/SCNG)

Nicolet Middle School teacher Sofia Garcia pickets on the first day of school in Banning on Wednesday, Aug. 8. (Photo by Craig Shultz, staff)

The union movement is feeling some mojo this Labor Day.

As we celebrate the 125th official national holiday for workers— it became law just six days after a violent railroad strike ended — several benchmarks show a union revival. How so? Organized labor has a renewed willingness to play hardball. Public popularity is growing. And in Southern California — home to 1-in-13 of all U.S. union members — membership is on the rise.

Organized labor has suffered numerous blows in the past half-century. Some wounds were self-inflicted while others were economic, from the Great Recession’s blow to long-running challenges among heavily unionized manufacturing industries. And one very political punch — when President Reagan fired 11,345 striking air traffic controllers in 1981 — put fear into all union workers.

Today, the modest union renaissance is being fueled by overall job growth and the fact that many workers missed out on financial reward from the post-recession economic rebound.

Let’s look at local membership. In 2018, there were 1.14 million union members in the four counties covered by the Southern California News Group — an increase of 7% since 2009. In the rest of the nation, membership fell 5% in these nine years of economic recovery.

The local union advance hasn’t kept pace with overall job growth: there are 16% more jobs in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties vs. 2009. And that gap meant unions’ share of the region’s workforce went from 16.5% to 15.3% in the period.

But increases in an otherwise downward trend is more than just noteworthy.

Surprisingly, the local private sector has been the hot spot for organized labor. Union membership stood at 582,934 in 2018, up 10% since 2009. Overall private industry employment rose 17%, so unions’ share of all workers fell to 9.1% from 9.6% in 2009.

And local government, long a union stronghold, had 558,355 union members last year, up 4% since 2009 vs. 10% growth in total government workers. Unions’ share of this workforce went from 56.6% to 53.7% in the same period.

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Power moves

How does the momentum translate to action? For starters, if you think you’ve heard the word “strike” in the news more often, your ears are sharp.

In the 18 months ended in June, there have been 35 major work stoppages nationwide — strikes or lockouts involving 1,000 or more workers — vs. 13 in the previous year and a half. Local walkouts included those at Los Angeles Unified School District, University of California medical centers and Marriott Hotels.

Yes, this is the highest volume of walkouts since 2001, but it’s nowhere near old highs. Work stoppages in the past 30 years are off 70% from a pace equal to 127 every 18 months in 1981-86.

But please note these stoppages in the past 18 months involved 792,700 workers — the most since 1983. Yes, 36 years! And it’s a stark contrast from the 45,500 workers in labor actions in the previous year and a half, the second-lowest count since monthly data was first collected in 1981. Of course, striking worker counts are down over time, off 69% vs. 1981-86.

And the Southern California tally may go higher as strike talk swirls for workers at Kaiser Permanente, several local grocery chains and airport food workers.

The recent rise in union members’ willingness to walk a picket line says plenty about today’s tight labor market. When folks felt lucky just to have a job, post-recession, few would risk upsetting the boss.

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It also helps that unions have growing public support.

Gallup’s annual opinion poll about unions showed 64% of Americans surveyed in August had favorable views of organized labor, the highest rate in 20 years and a hefty rebound from the mid-recession 48% low to the highest approval rate in 20 years. By the way, 2019’s favorability is not far off from the all-time high of 75% in 1952.

This recent upswing in union favorability is curiously bi-partisan in one way — both sides of the political spectrum upped favorability by 16 percentage points to 82% for Democrats and 45% for Republicans. Perhaps the most encouraging number in the poll for the union movement is its youthful supporters: 67% of 18- to 34-year-olds polled were union fans.

Look, we’re nowhere near the good ol’ days of union might. But organized labor, especially in Southern California, is on the rebound.