Shifting Worker Empowerment

The past several years have seen major swings in the power of workers in the workplace. In 2023, nearly half a million workers participated in 354 strikes within the first 10 months of the year. These strikes included members of the Writers Guild of America, the Screen Actors Guild, and the United Auto Workers, as well as a narrowly avoided strike by UPS workers.

The surge in worker activism can be attributed to various factors: the economic and social disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic, subsequent high inflation, decades of rising inequality (particularly soaring CEO pay), a consistently strong labor market, and the role of social media in fostering solidarity and amplifying workers' voices. The message is clear: workers want greater control over their wages, working conditions, and overall job security. Beyond pay and benefits, strikes have also addressed the integration of new technologies in established industries. A key victory for autoworkers highlighted by the UAW was securing contract coverage for employees at two electric vehicle plants.

However, in 2025, the Trump administration has moved to roll back diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs in both the federal government and private sector, and has fired more than 120,000 federal employees. Major corporations, including Google and Target, have already reconsidered or reduced their DEI initiatives in response to this political shift. This rollback could create new tensions in the workforce, particularly for historically underrepresented groups. For planners, these developments signal ongoing labor shifts and evolving workplace policies that could reshape economic development strategies, impact workforce participation, and challenge efforts to maintain equitable workplaces and communities.