I wish I could report that the Clinton and Obama administrations reformed labor laws to make it harder for corporations to bust unions. But either because Bill Clinton and Barack Obama lacked the political clout to get this done or didn't want to expend the political capital, the fact is neither president led the way.
The result of these political choices? Corporate profits have soared and wages have stagnated.
But it doesn't have to be this way. We can turn the tide by making new political choices that restore the voice and centrality of American workers.
The most important is now in front of us: It's called the Protecting the Right to Organize Act.
It prevents misclassification of full-time workers, bans corporations from harassing or intimidating workers who want to form a union, prohibits employers from replacing striking workers with non-union workers, and beefs up penalties for breaking existing labor laws, among other provisions empowering workers.
Beyond the PRO Act, American businesses need to be restructured so workers have a say at every level. At the top, that means a voice on corporate boards. In many European countries, worker representation has been shown to boost wages, skills, and corporate investment in communities.
At the local level, we should make it easier to establish worker-owned cooperatives, which have been shown to increase profits, wages, and worker satisfaction.
And our trade and foreign policy can center on American workers without falling into the kind of xenophobia and nativism Donald Trump promoted.
Reversing 40 years of shareholder capitalism won't be easy. But remember this: you, the working people of America, outnumber the corporate executives and big investors by a wide margin. Together, you can change the rules, and build a world where workers have real power.
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