(WASHINGTON, D.C.) - Labor activism in the United States has had a remarkable resurgence over the last three years with Workers mounting successful Organizing Campaigns at a wide range of companies, including Amazon, Starbucks, Trader Joe’s, Apple, Barnes and Noble, Ben & Jerry’s, Chipotle, REI and Volkswagen.

Moreover, according to Gallup polls, 70% of the U.S. public - and almost 90% of young Workers - approve of Unions, a figure not seen since the mid-1960s.

Even more remarkable, Unions are wildly popular despite their organizational weakness: In the mid-60s, they represented almost one-third of Private Sector Workers, while today they represent fewer than 6%.

At the bargaining table, Unions have won record wage increases at companies such as UPS, The Big Three Auto Companies, Kaiser Permanente and Disney.

Further, according to recent studies, 60 million American Workers want to form Unions.

In recent years, the desire for organizing has been especially apparent among young Workers -who entered the labor market after the Great Recession and have experienced precarious employment conditions - who have tried to form Unions in multiple sectors.

Despite this momentum, Union Density has continued to decline.

The most recent Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data found that 16 million Workers are covered by a Union Contract, a 170,000 decline from the prior year.

What explains this disconnect?

Two intractable problems explain why Union popularity, bargaining victories and renewed Labor Activism haven’t translated into higher Union Density: (1) Disastrously weak Labor Laws; and (2) Ferocious corporate opposition to Worker organizing.

Until these issues are addressed, Union Membership and density will continue to decline.

Previous studies have analyzed the issues of weak Labor Laws and strong employer opposition.

This Economic Policy Institute (EPI) report focuses on Corporate Union Busting and examines the tactics, both legal and illegal, that corporations routinely employ to defeat Worker Organizing efforts and resist reaching a first contract.

After reviewing Union Busting tactics, the report analyzes three high-profile Worker Organizing Campaigns.

To Continue Reading This Labor News Report, Go To: Corporate union busting in plain sight: How Amazon, Starbucks, and Trader Joe’s crushed dynamic grassroots worker organizing campaigns | Economic Policy Institute