Unions are Successfully Organizing the Wrong Companies
US unions have adapted to an increasingly hostile organizing climate by focusing on small workplaces in peripheral industries, but this strategy cannot produce meaningful growth. Despite a 79% NLRB election win rate last year and nearly 100,000 workers organized—the highest since 2009—the labor movement would need to organize millions annually to reverse long-term decline.
Unionization remains low in fast-growing sectors like personal services, IT, finance, and health care, while traditional union strongholds—government and manufacturing—continue to shed jobs. Over the past 20 years, NLRB elections in core sectors such as manufacturing, construction, transportation, and utilities have fallen even faster than those sectors’ employment declines.
Notably, during Trump’s first term, employer anti-union campaigns became less aggressive on average, and union win rates actually increased, but organizing levels still remained far below what is needed for sustained labor movement growth.
Do you agree that unions are barking up the wrong tree?
US unions have adapted to an increasingly hostile organizing climate by focusing on small workplaces in peripheral industries, but this strategy cannot produce meaningful growth. Despite a 79% NLRB election win rate last year and nearly 100,000 workers organized—the highest since 2009—the labor movement would need to organize millions annually to reverse long-term decline.
Unionization remains low in fast-growing sectors like personal services, IT, finance, and health care, while traditional union strongholds—government and manufacturing—continue to shed jobs. Over the past 20 years, NLRB elections in core sectors such as manufacturing, construction, transportation, and utilities have fallen even faster than those sectors’ employment declines.
Notably, during Trump’s first term, employer anti-union campaigns became less aggressive on average, and union win rates actually increased, but organizing levels still remained far below what is needed for sustained labor movement growth.
Do you agree that unions are barking up the wrong tree?