Fritz Fekete

The era of globalization has deeply affected the labour union movement and workers across both the United States and Europe. Pension, benefits and wages have become stagnant and are under pressure on both sides of the Atlantic. In the past several years, a rise in populism and nationalism has emerged as a result of this economic and wage stagnation.  Yet, despite this rise of populist ideals, the institutions that support workers, namely the trade unions, continue to find themselves under attack from the corporate and political world.  This results in several key questions: What will the future bring to the global trade union movement in this new era of populist nationalism?  How will trade unions respond to issues such as immigration reform, economic upheaval and political nationalism?  How can American and European trade unions work together to ensure their survival and continue to assist workers in their aims to achieve a better standard of living?