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Labor unions are growing, but where depends on state politics

The study found collective bargaining states added three times as many union members as right-to-work states, even as total membership topped 14.6 million.

  • Labor union membership grew in the United States last year, with the nation adding more than 411,000 members, the largest annual growth since 2008, according to a study published ahead of Labor Day.
  • State governments remain nearly evenly divided on labor policy, with 26 states enforcing right-to-work laws. Membership rates sit at about 14% in collective bargaining states versus 5% in right-to-work states.
  • Virginia lawmakers approved a measure to repeal the state's public-sector bargaining ban, but Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger vetoed the bill in May. She urged amendments to provide flexibility for public employers.
  • Unions face major policy headwinds at the federal level, as President Donald Trump has sought to strip collective bargaining rights from more than 1 million federal workers. Many moves are being litigated in courts.
  • "What seems to be the number one driver is the state of the state," said Robert Bruno, who leads the labor education program at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Where law allows worker will to flourish, membership rises.
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Labor unions are growing, but where depends on state politics

Labor union membership continues to climb in the United States, adding 411,000 members last year -- the most since 2008 -- although the increase remains sharply divided by the union-friendly or union-antagonistic politics of individual states.

·Annapolis, United States
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arkansasadvocate.com broke the news on Sunday, September 6, 2026.
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