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 after striking for nearly three weeks and last Friday, the city of Minneapolis 

reached a new labor agreement with the Minneapolis police union

. Unions are back in the news, and possibly gaining broader support. 

At the high point in the 1950s, about a third of all U.S. workers were in a union. Since then, membership has declined. Minnesota still has a high number of unionized workers compared to most other states — about 17 percent of workers in the state are in a union while the national average is 9 percent.  

Despite low numbers, there’s renewed interest in unions as workers battered by the pandemic and emboldened by a tight labor market look for more control over their work lives. 

68 percent of Americans approved of unions

, higher than any point since the mid-1960s. Nationally, workers at Starbucks have organized several successful union votes and this week 

Amazon workers in New York City are voting

 on whether to become the first unionized Amazon warehouse. 

Union interest is also expanding to white collar jobs. In Minnesota, 

Host Angela Davis talks with a labor historian and a labor economist about the history and work of unions. 

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Union membership has declined across the country for decades but the Minneapolis teachers strike put collective bargaining back in the spotlight. Host Angela Davis talks with a labor economist and a labor historian about the history, role and future of unions. 

MPR News with Angela Davis - Union membership has declined across the country for decades but the Minneapolis teachers strike put collective bargaining back in the spotlight. Host Angela Davis talks with a labor economist and a labor historian about the history, role and future of unions. 

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