The share of American workers who are members of a union hit a new low in 2023 — it’s now 1 in 10 — though the total number of unionized employees rose slightly.
Why it matters: Advocates say unions are a needed proponent of worker rights and compensation, while critics say unions throttle progress in the workplace.
Driving the news: 10% of the workforce was part of a union in 2023, down from 10.1% in 2022 and a high of 20.1% in 1983, the first year the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported comparable figures.
- 14.4 million workers were union members in 2023, up from 14.3 million in 2022 — but the percentage fell because the workforce grew at a faster rate than union membership.
The big picture: The slight drop in the union membership rate came during a year of significant action for Big Labor, including:
- The UAW scoring record contracts from the General Motors, Ford and Stellantis after an unprecedented strike.
- The Teamsters winning concessions from UPS without a strike.
- Actors and writers unions getting new deals from Hollywood after bruising […]
There is nothing “lost” here. The passive voice does no justice to what has been a concerted bipartician effort to weaken labor in favor of capital over the past 40 plus years. The process has been brutal and quietly violent. Uncovered by the vast majority of mainstream media outlets.