When President Biden proclaimed recently that “unions built the middle class,” he was repeating one of unions’ biggest myths. Although unions--like a hitchiker--were along for the ride, they were not the driving force that built the middle class.

In this episode of Union Free Radio, host Peter List dispels the union myth that “unions built the middle class,” by giving listeners the logic, and the data, that proves the myth false.

“You know,” List states, “the bad part about blindly accepting a myth like this is that it gives unions a free pass in order to push bad bills, like the poisonous PRO Act.”

Articles and sources cited:

• Union Myth Buster: WWII, NOT Unions, Built The Middle Class
• Ken Braun: Big Labor didn’t build the middle class
• Great Myths of the Great Depression (PDF)
• FDR’s Folly: How Roosevelt and His New Deal Prolonged the Great Depression
• Casualties of World War II | History of Western Civilization II
• Middle Class Definition
• Middle-Class Income: What Is It?
• The Economic Impact of World War II
• Recovery and reconstruction: Europe after WWII | VOX, CEPR Policy Portal
• Post–World War II economic expansion
• Great Responsibilities and New Global Power | The National WWII Museum | New Orleans
• Exports & Imports of Agricultural Products during the 1940s
• The Post World War II Boom: How America Got Into Gear – HISTORY
• Economic Recovery: Lessons from the Post-World War II Period | Mercatus Center
• The Real Reason the American Economy Boomed After World War II – The New York Times
• STEEL IMPORT FLOOD TIED TO ’59 STRIKE | JOC.com
• Overview  |  The Post War United States, 1945-1968  |  U.S. History Primary Source Timeline |  Library of Congress
• PolitiFact | ‘Half a truth is often a great lie’: Did Benjamin Franklin really say that?