Despite high-profile strikes that dominated several news cycles, the proportion of wage workers who were union members in 2023 was little different from the previous year.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics Reported union membership rate It decreased from 10.1% in 2022 to 10% in 2023. Union membership has remained roughly flat at 14.4 million, with an increase of just 139,000 people last year, a small proportion of the 2.7 million jobs added.
The data comes after a year of high-profile organizing efforts, including a months-long strike by the Writers Guild of America, which was quickly joined by the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. also participated.
The United Auto Workers (UAW), the Teamsters, and a large coalition of health care workers also all engaged in organizing efforts that received significant media attention.
Acting U.S. Labor Secretary Julie Su praised the new union membership data, noting that union membership has increased by a total of 400,000 over the past two years under the Biden administration.
“The achievements under the Biden-Harris administration confirm President Biden's determination to be the most pro-worker, pro-union president in history,” Su said in a statement.
“We have seen a significant increase in private sector unionization in health care workers, transportation and warehouse workers, and education services. Workers in health care, auto manufacturing, transportation, entertainment and more have won big victories at the bargaining table over the past year. “I've come,” she added.
The Biden administration emphasized its commitment to union members and their right to organize, despite the obstacles that often exist at the federal and state levels.
“The president always says unions built the middle class, and he's right. And we need unions to rebuild the middle class. These increases in union membership show we're moving in the right direction. It's a reflection of this,” Su said.
“We know there is still a huge amount of work to do.”
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