Union membership on the rise

The Guardian - After years of decline, union membership in the US increased by 411,000 members in 2025, the largest increase since 2008, according to a new report.

The report makes clear the impact that “right to work” laws can have on union membership: most gains were concentrated in states that protect collective bargaining.

Union membership rates in those states were nearly triple than the 26 states with so-called “right-to-work” laws that weaken union membership, according to the report from the Illinois Economic Policy Institute (ILEPI) and the Project for Middle Class Renewal at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

States with collective bargaining protections saw an increase of nearly 305,000 union members in 2025, compared to about 107,000 in “right-to-work” states. States with protections have over 10.9 million members out of 76.9 million workers, compared to “right-to-work” states that have 3.7 million members out of 69.7 million workers.

“Right-to-work” laws allow workers to “free ride”, or work under a collectively bargained contract agreement without paying union membership dues. Most right-to-work legislation was passed in the 1940s and 1950s after a movement from conservative activist Vance Muse, who coined the term and championed it in southern states with arguments to preserve Jim Crow-era laws.

“The data consistently shows that workers earn higher wages when they are union members and work in states that protect collective bargaining rights,” said Frank Manzo IV, economist at the ILEPI and coauthor of the report. “More Americans are turning to unions as a bulwark against the rising cost of living..”

In 2025, 19 US states passed 88 laws that expanded workers’ rights, according to a 3 September issue brief by State Futures and NYU Wagner Labor Initiative. Legislation included paid sick leave and medical leave passed in Virginia, warehouse worker protections passed in Connecticut and banning nearly all non-compete agreements in Washington.