Despite the importance of unions to democracy and a well ordered economy in the United States, it is obvious that organized labor has been in decline in terms of membership, clout, and public opinion. This article offers suggestions for a strategy to revive labor by examining the general conditions for successful union organization, and then presenting a stylized model of “traditional unionism” to contrast with the recommended alternative. An example of the alternative model’s operation is discussed, and the gains that might follow from its wider adoption are considered.
