U.S. union membership rates dipped slightly last year, despite some high-profile strikes and increased union drives. Ten percent of American workers were union members in 2023, compared to 10.1 percent in 2022, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). That number is down from 20.1 percent in 1983. There are 14.4 million union members in the U.S.
Unionization Rates Hold Steady, Despite Highly Publicized Drives
SHRM | Jan 2024
Press Release: UNION MEMBERS -- 2023
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Bureau of Labor Statistics
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As has been the case for many years, the union membership rate among government workers (32.5%) dwarfed that of the private sector. However, as was also true last year, the private sector had more employees as union members than the public sector (7.4 million vs. 7.0 million). More important, perhaps, is the fact that the number of government public sector union members dropped by a tenth of a percentage point, meaning the overall net growth of union membership was in the private sector.
Union Membership Reaches Another Record Low in 2023
U.S. Chamber of Commerce | Jan 2024
The American labor movement flourished in 2023. High-profile strikes by writers and actors against Hollywood brought the union power to the mainstream as pictures of celebrities holding picket signs flooded social media. President Biden made history as the first sitting president to ever appear on a picket line when he visited the United Auto Workers strike in Michigan in September. Successful negotiations between UPS and the Teamsters union led to wide-spread wage increases.
Labor unions, with power and popularity rising, are still trailing in the biggest nationwide battle
CNBC | Jan 2024
"Although union density remained flat in 2023, that doesn’t reflect the surging momentum that working people have carried into this year," AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler said in a statement. "Waves of workers across industries and geography are joining unions despite vicious union-busting campaigns by large corporations."
US union membership rate hits fresh record low in 2023 -Labor Dept
Reuters | Jan 2024
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