I was born in the Soviet Union, sometimes associated as a “worker power” paradise, where all aspects of work were regulated under the principle that every Soviet citizen must have a good, meaningful job that pays decent wages. Loosely, that meant a job was guaranteed by the government, there were rigid pay standards for each profession, it was impossible to get fired (which inevitably meant there was less job mobility), and the pursuit of income from self-employment was strictly prohibited. This latter prohibition on work is what sent my grandfather to jail for nearly a decade when he tried to earn more income by making and selling hats.
Three decades later, and several thousand miles west, I am witnessing America’s labor movement at the brink of a pivotal moment. Conservatives are now joining progressives in embracing the vital role of “pro-worker” policies (often contrasted with “pro-business” policies) for advancing the future of American society that, above all else, prioritizes worker power. Rhetoric from both the traditional left and the New Right are capitalizing on this moment. The Biden Administration’s Office of the U.S. Trade Representative just issued a proposal to investigate new regulations to pursue “worker-centered trade policy.” The conservative Heritage Foundation recently reversed some of its labor policy positions to now “reclaim the role of each American worker as the protagonist in his or her own life.”