I don't dismiss that there are other large forces at work; I simply mean that the AFL-CIO, through the policies they've promoted and their massive lobbying, has

I don't dismiss that there are other large forces at work; I simply mean that the AFL-CIO, through the policies they've promoted and their massive lobbying, has done as much as any one other person or group. And while the impact of private sector unions may have waned a bit after 1980, the growing impact of public employee unions has more than covered the difference.