European labor unions generally have industrial density now because many European countries' labor laws encourage bargaining at the sectoral level. U.S. labor l

European labor unions generally have industrial density now because many European countries' labor laws encourage bargaining at the sectoral level. U.S. labor law is not sectoral in orientation. Be careful not to confuse cause and effect. Labor and social democratic parties were able to pass sectoral bargaining laws because unions had already achieved organizing density in strategic sectors, and business interests preferred to channel unrest into the courts and labor boards.