Accessibility links
The growing discontent within the National Guard : Planet Money : The Indicator from Planet Money The recruiting message for the National Guard, "one weekend a month, two weeks a year," is well known. But the job has changed. Today on the show, we discuss the growing discontent among Guard members and why some want to unionize.

The Indicator from Planet Money

The growing discontent within the National Guard

The growing discontent within the National Guard

Listen · 9:59
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1064679135/1064690728" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
BOWIE, MD - FEBRUARY 06: A man receives a coronavirus vaccine from a member of the National Guard in the parking lot of Six Flags on February 6, 2021 in Bowie, Maryland. Maryland officially entered Phase 1C of COVID-19 vaccine distribution including people over age 65, U.S. Postal Service employees, and workers in manufacturing and agriculture. (Photo by Sarah Silbiger/Getty Images)
Enlarge this image
Getty Images
BOWIE, MD - FEBRUARY 06: A man receives a coronavirus vaccine from a member of the National Guard in the parking lot of Six Flags on February 6, 2021 in Bowie, Maryland. Maryland officially entered Phase 1C of COVID-19 vaccine distribution including people over age 65, U.S. Postal Service employees, and workers in manufacturing and agriculture. (Photo by Sarah Silbiger/Getty Images)
Getty Images

Last year, more than a third of the National Guard was on active duty. It's the highest utilization they've seen since World War II.

Not only that, the National Guard is being deployed overseas and responding to an ever-growing list of emergencies here at home - hurricanes, fires, protests, the pandemic. Is the National Guard being overworked?

Now, four labor unions are going to court. They're suing to allow National Guard members in Connecticut to join or form a union.

Today on the show, how did tensions between the National Guard and its members get this high? We hear from one retired guard member about this very specific type of labor unrest.