Ethics Newsline®

DETROIT
Good economic times and a string of high-profile strikes have made U.S. labor unions more aggressive and more willing to walk off the job, according to labor experts interviewed by the Associated Press.

Analysts warn that while the number of strikes is down from their historic highs of more than 200 per year during the 1950s, ’60s, and ’70s, their scale is increasing.

Last year, unions chalked up 34 major stoppages, affecting 387,000 workers — an increase of more than 15 percent over the previous year, according to U.S. Labor Department statistics.

Last week alone, major contract disputes with Boeing and the Detroit public school system were resolved after unions flexed their collective muscles to win contract concessions.

Last week’s win against Boeing proved one thing, Seattle-area machinists’ union leader Bill Johnson told the Associated Press: “You can take on a major corporation and be successful.”