Labor Day unofficially started back on September 5, 1882, when over 10,000 workers walked off their jobs and took an unpaid leave from work to conduct a march in New York City. Labor Day became an official holiday on the first Monday in September by an Act of Congress on June 28,1894.
Though we will undoubtedly hear from the news media, union leaders, and some academics that organized labor is experiencing a comeback, the numbers do not support that. The 2024 Bureau of Labor Statistics annually publishes the current union membership rate and the percentage of workers represented by a union. Two different numbers. The union membership rate for 2024 was 9.9%. Very little changed from 2023. The number of workers represented by a union was reported at 11.1% for 2024. 9.9% is the percentage of wage and salary workers who reported being members of a union. 11.1% refers to the number of workers represented by a union and those who report no union affiliation but whose jobs are covered by a union contract. The 11.1% rate reflects the total number of jobs in America, both private and public employers.
The number of unionized workers as a percentage of the total workforce has been falling since the late 1950’s when the union representation rate was estimated to be over 30% of workers. The first official report by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics showed a union membership rate at 20.1% or 17.7 million union members. Today the total union members are around 14.3 million workers.
Though union membership continues to run pretty flat, some other recent reporting shows public approval of unions today at 70%. In the last few years, union election wins have trended near 80%. Historically union elections won as a total of union elections held in a year was closer to 50%.
Last year some media reported union ranks were swelling. However, as reported above, the percentage of union members overall remains stagnant. Yes, there were more union members in the last year, but the overall American workforce, most of whom are not unionized, grew even more resulting in a stagnant union membership percentage.
Though unions have faced big challenges while trying to increase their overall U.S. worker representation percentage, they do have some social forces working in their favor these days. Union strikes have hit a near record number with 500,000 workers striking in 2023. Younger workers are attracted to unions for reasons of social justice, work-life concerns, and because social media has provided a new avenue of communicating for organizing purposes.
Employers should remain vigilant to changes within their workforce that may signal union organizing. Warning signs of union organizing include:
- Employees gathering or walking in groups; this may include complaints about working conditions presented by a delegation of employees.
- Strangers that appear and talk to employees in the company parking lot.
- Employees using labor terms such as “protected activity” and “unfair labor practice” or talking about “terms and conditions of employment.”
Employer response to this must be measured. If an organizing drive is taking place the labor rules become very protective of workers. Employers should train their supervisors properly. The acronym TIPS should be understood, remembered, and practiced.
TIPS stands for Threats, Interrogation, Promise and Surveillance. These are four practices employers should not engage in, especially during an organizing drive.
If it becomes clear that a union organizing drive is happening in your business, it is recommended the employer engage legal counsel to properly and legally oppose the organizing drive.
The best defense is a good offence. But the “defense” must be in practice way before any talk of organizing. Employers should be training their supervisors and managers in proper positive employer-employee relations – listening to what employees may be complaining about and hearing what they are saying about the workplace. Employers must use constructive, ongoing communications to build trust and understanding with workers so they do not think of going to an outside party (the union). Pay is not always the biggest issue. Often, it is just being heard by management.
ASE Connect
ASE can effectively train your supervisors and managers to avoid behavior and activity that drives workers to seek out a union. ASE has tools and resources to help employers know what its workers are thinking and saying about them. And, of course, ASE has all the pay data to ensure an employer can set pay and benefits to the market. In addition, we offer the course, Union Avoidance: Recognizing and Handling Unionization Attempts. Our next class is being held in Novi on October 22nd. Learn more and register here.