Southern Black Workers See Unions as Alleviating Workplace Challenges

Research study finds high interest in unionization despite concerns over scheduling, safety, and discrimination

Mar. 12, 2026 at 5:38am

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A new research study co-authored by Kate Bronfenbrenner, director of Labor Education Research at Cornell University's ILR School, has found that Black workers in the Southeast face numerous workplace challenges, including little advance notice of work schedules, concerns about safety and racial discrimination, but they also believe unions could help address these issues. The study, funded by grants from WorkRise and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, involved a team of researchers from five historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) who surveyed 131 workers and conducted dozens of interviews.

Why it matters

This research provides important insights into the perspectives of Black workers in the South, a region that has historically had lower union membership rates. The findings challenge the myth that these workers are not interested in unionization and suggest there is significant potential for union organizing efforts to address the workplace challenges faced by this population.

The details

The study found that more than half of surveyed workers (51%) receive little advance notice of their work schedules, about 25% expressed concerns about workplace safety, and almost 20% said they experienced racial discrimination at their jobs. Additionally, a substantial share (32%) reported difficulties paying rent or affording food. However, the workers' views on unions were mostly positive, with roughly 75% seeing unions as giving workers a voice at work, 67% believing unions help to reduce racial discrimination, and 60% thinking unions improve the economic conditions of low-paid workers.

  • The research study was conducted in 2026.

The players

Kate Bronfenbrenner

Director of Labor Education Research at the ILR School at Cornell University and co-author of the research study.

Algernon Austin

Co-principal investigator on the project and co-author of the research study, from the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR).

Erin Johansson

Co-principal investigator on the project, from the Jobs with Justice Education Fund.

Jason Tomlinson

Co-principal investigator on the project, from the Jobs with Justice Education Fund.

Joseph Jones

Researcher from Clark Atlanta University who collected survey data for the study.

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What they’re saying

“The key findings are important because they reinforced what we expect. We expect working conditions to be worse in the south. But there's a myth that those workers are not interested in unionization, and what was found was that the level of interest in unionization, and the support for unionization, was extremely high.”

— Kate Bronfenbrenner, Director of Labor Education Research, ILR School at Cornell University

The takeaway

This research challenges the misconception that Black workers in the South are not interested in unionization, and instead finds a high level of support for unions among this population. The findings suggest there is significant potential for union organizing efforts to address the workplace challenges faced by Black workers in the region, including issues around scheduling, safety, and racial discrimination.