Desperate times call for desperate measures, and the state of the union – not the capital “U” union that is our nation, but the combined mass we also call Big Labor – is one of near-panic. Their straits are so dire that AFL-CIO members passed a resolution at their national convention earlier this month allowing non-members the opportunity to enjoy union benefits through a group called Working America, which the AFL-CIO formed to serve workers in industries with little chance at unionization.

Unfortunately for the AFL-CIO and other traditional industry-based unions, their influence is being eroded on two different fronts. Former Rust Belt union strongholds Wisconsin, Indiana and Michigan have adopted various forms of right-to-work legislation; meanwhile, the public sector has become the chief source of new union membership. Public-sector workers now make up over half of all union membership, but overall just one in nine workers is a union member.

Rather than see themselves relegated to the dustbin of history, this AFL-CIO resolution portends a shift in tactics. While Working America has its naked appeals for donations to promote the leftist agenda, the group bills itself as “the fastest-growing organization for working people in the country.” In many respects, the group serves Big Labor just as the AARP caters to older Americans, providing a plethora of discounts and benefits for dues-paying members with a heaping helping of leftist lobbying on the side.

After all, unions aren’t really about the worker, who simply serves as a means to an end. The more money they collect, the more political power they can purchase, and it doesn’t even matter to Big Labor if those same workers benefit in the end – as long as the leadership gets its cut.