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The percentage of U.S. workers who are members of labor unions dropped again in 2022 to the lowest level ever recorded in the 40 years the government has been keeping track. This is bound to come as a surprise to many given how friendly the Biden administration is with union bosses. But for some reason overwhelming and increasing numbers of Americans are choosing not to join. What could possibly be the problem?
The federal Bureau of Labor Statistics reports today:
The union membership rate–the percent of wage and salary workers who were members of unions–was 10.1 percent in 2022, down from 10.3 percent in 2021…
In 1983, the first year where comparable union data are available, the union membership rate was 20.1 percent…
In the real economy that produces wealth and innovation, unions are especially unpopular. BLS notes:
The union membership rate of public-sector workers (33.1 percent) continued to be more than five times higher than the rate of private-sector workers (6.0 percent).
One common knock on unions is that their adversarial relationship with employers makes it more difficult for unionized workplaces to flexibly adapt to a competitive marketplace and continue to grow. Perhaps it’s a coincidence that the most union households are found in political jurisdictions known for expensive inflexibility. BLS reports:
In 2022, 30 percent of the 14.3 million union members lived in just two states (California at 2.6 million and New York at 1.7 million).
BLS adds:
Among states, Hawaii and New York had the highest union membership rates (21.9 percent and 20.7 percent, respectively), while South Carolina and North Carolina had the lowest (1.7 percent and 2.8 percent, respectively).
But wherever U.S. workers live, why do so many of them choose not to join unions?
Perhaps union bosses could do a better job inspiring new potential members to sign on. Eric Lawrence wrote last week in the Detroit Free Press about a compelling…
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