Unions play a vital role in strengthening the middle class and creating a fair workplace for Americans. Recent growth in union activity paired with the policies passed by Congressional Democrats and enacted by the Biden administration can help expand economic opportunity for working families and bring more people into the middle class.

Unionization improves pay and benefits for all workers, including workers who are not unionized

• Unionized workers earn 10.2% more than their non-union counterparts.
• Union workers are almost 30% more likely to have access to employer-sponsored health benefits and more than 16% more likely to have access to paid sick leave compared to their non-union counterparts.
• High union density in a given industry corresponds with higher wages and more benefits for all workers—including those who are not union members—as unions set broader standards for employers.
• The decline of unions from 1973 to 2007 is estimated to explain about one-third of the rise in wage inequality among men and 20% of that rise among women.

Union representation increased by 200,000 in 2022, with tens of millions more showing a desire to unionize

• In 2022, 16 million U.S. workers were represented by a union, an increase of 200,000 from 2021.
• Union election petitions increased by more than 50% in fiscal year 2022, the highest single-year increase seen by the National Labor Relation Board since fiscal year 2016.
• Union popularity is increasing with 71% of Americans approving of unions in 2022, the highest recorded level of support since 1965. (See figure below.)

Unions are essential in supporting women and people of color in the workplace

• Unions play a critical role in narrowing racial and gender economic disparities. Black union workers are paid 13.1% more than their non-union counterparts and Hispanic union workers are paid 18.8% more than their non-union counterparts.