The Power of Unions: Rise, Fall, Return?

The Power of Unions: Rise, Fall, Return?

From Sustainability Matters by De Gruyter Brill

February 11, 2026 · 1h 12m · Season 13 · Episode 13

About this episode

This episode explores the dynamics of unions, their historical context, and insights from a major New York transit union's experience.

On this episode of Sustainability Matters, we ask: why do unions rise, why do they fall, and what does it take for them to rise again? How do leadership, strategy, and internal democracy shape their trajectory? And what can the turbulent history of a major New York transit union teach us about the labour movement today? All this and more with Dr. Marc Kagan, author of Take Back the Power: The Fall and Rise and Fall of NYC’s Transport Workers Union Local 100, 1975–2009, which is Volume 7 in th...

People in this episode

Host: De Gruyter Brill

Guest: Dr. Marc Kagan

Topics covered

  • unions
  • labour movement
  • leadership
  • strategy
  • internal democracy
  • history

Keywords

  • unions
  • labour movement
  • leadership
  • strategy
  • internal democracy
  • New York transit union

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Sustainability Matters, De Gruyter Brill

Books & works: Take Back the Power: The Fall and Rise and Fall of NYC’s Transport Workers Union Local 100, 1975–2009

Places: New York

More episodes of Sustainability Matters

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Sustainability Matters podcast page.