Human Centered · Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences

New Visions for Effective Worker Influence

·1 hr 27 min·5 clips

Oren Kass reveals workers choose cooperation over power, challenging traditional union strategies.

This panel discussion from Stanford's Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences explores how to build effective worker influence within outdated U.S. labor laws. Moderator Roy Bahat of Bloomberg Beta hosts John Alquist from UC San Diego, Oren Kass of American Compass, and Veena Dubal from UC Law San Francisco. The conversation centers on defining what workers want and identifying paths to greater voice or power despite legal and economic constraints. Veena Dubal argues low-wage workers fundamentally want security, higher wages, and autonomy over their work conditions, a desire she sees as consistent over the last century. Oren Kass cites survey data indicating the median wage for production workers has stagnated at $28 an hour for fifty years, and he emphasizes workers value collaborative relationships with management. John Alquist notes his research finds job satisfaction heavily depends on both vertical relationships with managers and horizontal connections with coworkers. Kass references a specific survey question from Richard Freeman's work where workers overwhelmingly preferred a management-supported organization with no power over a management-opposed one with power. Dubal shares ethnographic findings from on-demand workers, revealing a discrepancy between survey responses about contractor status and their deeper legal understandings. Kass mentions a joint survey with New America showing workers earning under $150,000 rank stability and dignity above higher wages or meaningful work. Alquist describes ongoing survey data revealing younger workers report more "voice" yet face objectively worse job conditions, suggesting they may conflate voice with the option to exit. A key insight is the growing use of digital technology for workplace surveillance and allocation, which Dubal argues creates an "obscure" and arbitrary exercise of power that fuels worker angst. The panel debates the terminology of "voice" versus "power," with Bahat preferring "power" for its clarity, while Kass distinguishes voice as being heard from power as winning conflicts. Alquist suggests "influence" captures the ability to discipline arbitrary authority. Kass introduces the concept of workers needing "power in the marketplace," derived from sectoral organizing or tight labor markets, as distinct from workplace power. Bahat raises concerns that rapid, unpredictable technological change, like AI, could destabilize specific occupations abruptly rather than automating all jobs gradually. The tone is a collegial yet probing academic discussion, with the moderator actively participating and challenging assumptions. The style is conversational and idea-driven, focusing on research findings and theoretical frameworks. This episode would deeply interest labor scholars, policy analysts, and activists engaged in debates over union strategy and workplace democracy. Listeners seeking a highly structured debate with clear policy conclusions or those unfamiliar with labor economics might find the theoretical discussion less accessible.

As heard by us

A serious labor panel about how worker influence gets built under outdated labor law.

Human Centered treats an ordinary labor question as one worth taking seriously: if U.S. labor law has fallen behind, what can workers actually do now?

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A labor debate about worker voice, worker power, and what workers can build now.

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