Remember Striketober? Union organizing at Starbucks and Amazon? Lots of splashy news about unions. Heck, even I was feeling nostalgic about my early stint at the teacher’s union. But where are all these union members? Turns out, in the private sector, people like the idea of unions–not necessarily joining them.
According to a recent article in the New York Times, the decline in union membership for private sector workers fell to 6% in 2021, from 17% in 1983. At the same time, 68% of Americans approve of labor unions, according to a poll from Gallup. There has also been more labor activity–strikes and protests–among unionized groups, with public support.
What does this mean for my business? Union support–actual or idealized– is part of the movement towards employee empowerment and work satisfaction. Like the Great Resignation, union support and labor unrest point to a desire for change in the workplace. Get out in front of it. If your workplace is great, get that message out there. Promote your benefits internally too. If you want to implement retention tools like tuition assistance, we have a fixed fee Educational Assistance Program that has been increasingly popular. We talk to hundreds of employers all over the country each week and read a fair bit about the workplace too. Give us a call. We can help.