Social Work Labor

Social workers concerned about their working conditions and how new managerial approaches to output-driven measures of performance are limiting their autonomy and discretion are focused on issues of their labor. Likewise, inequities in pay, promotions, opportunities for professional growth, and the hiring of more and more contract employees are other examples of growing labor problems across all social work agencies. The low income and diminished status of social workers are concerns reflective of the degradation of the labor that we do. As such, these labor issues can only be addressed through collective advocacy and/or unionization efforts. For example, such efforts can begin with the demand that burnout cannot be addressed through self-care alone but requires collective action directed at improving the agency conditions under which social workers labor.

Social Work Unions

Our abysmal working conditions directly impact our retention rate and the quality of services we provide. Historically, unions have been the best vehicle for improving working conditions, and therefore, we encourage social workers to form unions at their workplaces. Social workers are at the crossroads of wage oppression in that we are a caring field that is dominated by women. While Nurses and Teachers have successfully embraced unionization as a way to push back against these oppressive forces, Social Workers have remained on the sidelines. It’s time for Social Workers to join the labor movement, and we are here to help.