Before the modern globalization era, unions could thrive by organizing on a national scale, giving them enormous bargaining power vis-à-vis both employers and consumers. Now, after the explosive post-war expansion of global trade, most unions have seen their monopoly power eroded, if not shattered.
现代全球化时代之前，工会可以通过在全国范围内组织而发展壮大，从而在对雇主和消费者上给了它们巨大的讨价还价的实力。现在，全球贸易在战后爆炸式发展，大多数工会发现其垄断实力要么瓦解，要么受到侵蚀。这就是为何发达国家中的工会不遗余力地阻碍可能进一步侵蚀其实力的自由贸易谈判。