Labor unions are growing, but where depends on state politics
The study found collective bargaining states added three times as many union members as right-to-work states, even as total membership topped 14.6 million.
- Labor union membership grew in the United States last year, with the nation adding more than 411,000 members, the largest annual growth since 2008. States supporting collective bargaining added three times as many members as right-to-work states.
- State governments remain nearly evenly divided on labor policy, with 26 states enforcing right-to-work laws. Membership rates sit at about 14% in collective bargaining states, compared to 5% in right-to-work states.
- Virginia lawmakers approved a measure to repeal the state's public-sector bargaining ban, but Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger vetoed the bill in May. She urged the legislature to adopt specific amendments providing flexibility for public employers.
- Unions face major policy headwinds at the federal level, as President Donald Trump has sought to strip collective bargaining rights from more than 1 million federal workers. Many moves are being litigated in courts.
- "What seems to be the number one driver is the state of the state," said Robert Bruno, who leads the labor education program at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Where law allows worker will to flourish, union membership numbers rise.
16 Articles
16 Articles
Labor unions are growing, but where depends on state politics • Rhode Island Current
Labor union membership continues to climb in the United States, though the increase remains sharply divided by the politics of individual states. Last year, the nation added more than 411,000 union members — the largest annual growth since 2008, according to a study published just ahead of the Labor Day holiday by the Illinois Economic […]
Labor unions are growing, but where depends on state politics • Maine Morning Star
Labor union membership continues to climb in the United States, though the increase remains sharply divided by the politics of individual states. Last year, the nation added more than 411,000 union members — the largest annual growth since 2008, according to a study published just ahead of the Labor Day holiday by the Illinois Economic […]
Maryland Matters
Labor unions are growing, but where depends on state politics
Labor union membership continues to climb in the United States, adding 411,000 members last year -- the most since 2008 -- although the increase remains sharply divided by the union-friendly or union-antagonistic politics of individual states.
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