Some decent news for unions

We’ll see whether this is a longer-term trend. But things could be a lot worse, and would be if the greedheads totally had their way.

In 2025, 16.5 million workers in the United States were represented by a union—an increase of 463,000 from 2024 and the highest number of unionized workers in the U.S. in 16 years. These 16.5 million unionized workers account for 11.2% of all wage and salary workers, up from 11.1% in 2024. The increase is a departure from prior years’ downward trend in union density. It demonstrates working people’s desire for greater agency in their workplaces and in shaping the policies that affect their lives. In a time of fear, uncertainty, and hardship, the importance and benefits of unionization are especially clear. Further, this increase occurred despite the nation’s broken system of labor law and the most anti-union president in history. It is a testament to working people’s resolve and the fact that unions are increasingly viewed favorably and recognized as critical instruments for building a just economy…

The share of nonunion workers who would like to have a union at their workplace far exceeds the share who are actually unionized. In 2025, 11.2% of workers were covered by a union contract. Recent survey data show that 43% of nonunion workers would vote to unionize their workplace if given the opportunity. That is up substantially from previous decades; surveys in 1977 and 1994 found that fewer than one-third (27% and 31%, respectively) of nonunion workers said they would vote to unionize if they could. There were 130.2 million wage and salary workers in 2025 who were not represented by a union; 43% of that is 56 million. In other words, more than 50 million workers in 2025 wanted union representation but were unable to get it. - EPI

Many more want to join unions, as actual membership declines

The “powerful forces blocking the will of workers” are not going to weaken by themselves.

Interest in union organizing is surging in the United States. Since 2021, petitions for union elections at the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) have more than doubled. And public support for unions is near 60-year highs — at 70%. This growing momentum around union organizing — aided by the Biden administration’s support for worker organizing and appointment of strong worker advocates in critical agencies like NLRB — signals a powerful push by workers to improve wages, working conditions, and workplace rights. But despite this groundswell of support, new data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reveal a puzzling trend: Unionization rates continue to decline.

Research shows that 60 million workers would join a union if they could. The disconnect between the growing interest in unionization and declining unionization rates can be explained by the fact that there are powerful forces blocking the will of workers: aggressive opposition from employers combined with labor law that is so weak that it doesn’t truly protect workers’ right to organize. Decades of attacks on unions both on the federal and state levels have made it hard for workers to form and maintain unions. Further, weaknesses in federal labor law have made it possible for employers to oppose unions, contributing to this decline. - EPI

Mixed numbers for unions in 2023

More, and more effective, pro-worker legislation would help.

In 2023, 16.2 million workers were represented by a union—an increase of 191,000. At the same time, the percentage of workers represented by a union decreased from 11.3% to 11.2%, as unionization efforts were unable to keep pace with 2023’s strong job growth.

By sector, private-sector unionization rose to 6.9% in 2023, while public-sector unionization declined to 36.0%...
 
These statistics don’t capture the number of workers who want to join unions. Evidence suggests that in 2023, more than 60 million workers wanted to join a union but couldn’t do so. - EPI