Growing inequality and the decline of organized labour in the United States

Abstract

This thesis examines the increasing inequality of income and wealth in relation to the decline of organized labour in the United States using power resource theory applied to a historical single-case study. It demonstrates the connection of the decline of organized labour with rising income and wealth inequality through a thorough review of literature from a number of different relevant fields of study. The main conclusion of this thesis is that income and wealth inequality is on the rise and that the decline of organized labour has been a major contributing factor. This decline was caused by unions’ lessened ability to mobilize key structural, associational, institutional and societal power resources to represent workers in the workplace and within political institutions.