A report from the Economic Policy Institute reveals that tripling union membership across the United States would result in a 14.5% pay raise for the median American worker.
This growth in union density would redirect $1.2 trillion to employees annually and substantially minimize racial wage disparities.
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The research highlights that the workforce unionization rate was once three times higher than its current state.
During the 1950s, union density exceeded 30% before embarking on a downward trajectory in the 1960s.
The figures dropped to 22.2% by the 1980s, ultimately plummeting to just 10% in 2025.
Public sentiment toward organized labor remains strong despite shrinking membership numbers.
Over 68% of Americans favored unions in 2025, and data reveals that more than 50 million American workers would choose to join a union if given the option.
The study links the erosion of union density to aggressive corporate anti-union campaigns and restrictive legislation.
These declining rates directly mirror the expanding wealth and income gap experienced over recent decades.
Since 1979, the productivity of American workers has scaled 2.7 times faster than the growth rate of their actual compensation.
Robert Reich writes in the foreword of the report that by making it harder for workers to organize, the rich seized more income and wealth, destroying the US middle class.
He notes that the richest 0.1% now own more than five times the combined wealth of the entire bottom half of the country.
