Collective action at work: It’s time to count I-O psychology in

Lefkowitz et al. (2026) urge I-O psychology to engage more directly with labor unions and collective action, and we echo this call.In response, this commentary provides a process-oriented framework that outlines the core phases of worker organizing and maps I-O constructs and research questions onto each step.By organizing existing theory around the practical realities of building organizing committees, engaging coworkers, mobilizing collective action, and securing contracts, we illustrate how I-O psychology can generate relevant research that directly connects to union practices.Organizing campaigns thus provide fertile ground for applying I-O psychological science to real-world challenges and for extending theory.At a time when regulatory protections and organizational commitments to fairness are increasingly fragile (Katz & Rauvola, 2025;Keith et al., 2025; Legal Defense Fund, 2025), engaging with the development of worker collective power offers I-O psychology a concrete and timely pathway to translate evidence-based principles into sustainable, collective workplace change.