Catherwood LibraryILR School

In Israel, workers at the largest carbonated-drink company are pushing to unionize as the union movement rises again. The Histadrut, which is Israel’s largest trade federation, is helping all workers to obtain better pay and working conditions. This came as a surprise to many, largely because Israel’s state-aligned trade federation initially excluded Arab workers. As new pro-labor laws are passed and the number of alternative labor groups has risen, unionization has become an increasingly popular solution to organize workers and fight unfair labor conditions. While The Histadrut once represented over 80% of Israeli workers, Israel’s push to privatize in the 1980s and 90s resulted in an increase in economic inequality, and hit the labor movement especially hard. Now, Israel has some of the highest rates of poverty and inequality of the 35 countries within the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. The hope is that labor alliances among Israel’s very diverse and very divided voters will help to increase economic equality within the state and result in more favorable political outcomes for them.