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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, though the increase remains sharply divided by the politics of individual states.

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