The Gen Zers leading a new pro-union push

Labour unions in the United States have seen a major decline since the 1980s. According to Bureau of Labour Statistics data, more than 20% of workers belonged to a union in 1983 (the first year such data was available). In 2022, that number had fallen by half.

The decline, which many experts attribute to employer-friendly policy change, an increase in right-to-work laws that weaken employees' organising and collective bargaining power and a trend towards outsourcing, has left the United States with one of the lowest union densities among major economies.

But even with membership on the decline, worker support for unions has risen. In August 2022, Gallup recorded the highest levels of union support since the 1960s; 71% of Americans approve of labour unions, and about one in 10 non-union workers said they were "extremely interested" in joining one.

High-profile labour efforts have dominated headlines: in recent years, workers at Amazon, Starbucks and several universities have organised. The Writer's Guild of America and actors' union SAG-AFTRA remain on strike over demands for wage and benefit increases, along with protection from evolving AI.