The labor movement is crushing it right now. The unionization wins across North America in recent months have been inspiring and heartening. They make it look like dominoes have started toppling out of nowhere. In fact, months and years of organizing on the ground are driving the victories as the pandemic acts as a catalyst. But the dominoes are indeed toppling. More should fall — and so should legal regimes that make organizing more difficult.

The pandemic has focused public attention on employers and working conditions. This scrutiny has acted to scratch away surface appearances to reveal an economic model that is centered on profit and exploits workers and consumers. At the same time, new risks related to the pandemic have made many jobs more dangerous, putting workers in peril, often without sufficient protection and added compensation. Corporate giants are among the worst offenders, and much of the recent union formation has been located there.

In the United States, a wave of union wins is tilting the balance of power between workers and bosses. In the spring, Christian Smalls led a successful movement to unionize an Amazon warehouse in New York. Many Starbucks locations have done the same, and more are following. In May, Activision Blizzard employees made history as the first unionized video game studio on the continent. This month, Apple employees in Maryland did the same at their retail store. Medieval Times workers in New Jersey are now headed for their own union vote.