Economy
Union Membership Rose Again — What the 2026 Numbers Actually Say
BLS reports the second consecutive year of union-membership growth. Randy H. filed from the UAW hall in Louisville.
September 11, 2026·7 min read·By Randy H.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics annual report showed U.S. union membership grew for a second consecutive year in 2026 — 14.7 million members, up from 14.1 million in 2024.
Where the growth came from
- Auto: UAW added 62,000 members after wins at Volkswagen Chattanooga (2024) and Mercedes-Benz Vance (2025).
- Warehousing: Teamsters + Amazon Labour Union added 41,000 members at four new distribution centres.
- Higher ed: graduate-student and adjunct unions added 28,000 members across California, Michigan, and New York.
- Hospitality: UNITE HERE added 22,000 in Las Vegas and Atlantic City.
The Randy H. take
At UAW Local 862 in Louisville, the shop steward told me: "We're winning on the assembly lines Detroit forgot. Every foreign-owned plant is a fight now, and we're winning half of them." That is a new sentence for the U.S. labour movement.
The 2027 bet
If NLRB Chair Wilcox holds her position (she is under pressure) and the current General Counsel keeps enforcing Cemex, the organising boom continues. If either changes, the boom stalls fast.
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