U.S. union membership posts biggest jump in 17 years

A new Illinois Economic Policy Institute and University of Illinois study says the U.S. added more than 411,000 union members last year, the largest one-year increase since 2008. The report ties much of the growth to states that protect collective bargaining rights and says those states are outpacing so-called right-to-work states on wages and unionization.

Why it matters: - Union membership is rising at its fastest pace in nearly two decades. - The report says the gains are concentrated in states that protect collective bargaining rights. - The findings point to a widening gap in wages, affordability and union access between those states and right-to-work states. - The study also argues that union members are less likely to rely on public assistance and more likely to have stronger household outcomes.

What happened: - The 12th annual State of the Unions study from the Illinois Economic Policy Institute and the Project for Middle Class Renewal at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign says the U.S. added more than 411,000 union members last year. - That is the largest one-year increase in union membership since 2008 and the biggest growth in two decades. - The report says states that protected, restored or strengthened collective bargaining rights drove most of the increase. - The study The State of the Unions 2026: A Profile of Unionization in Chicago, in Illinois, and in the United States draws on U.S. Department of Labor data. - The analysis says public support for unions remains near historic highs.

The details: - The report says workers in unions earn higher wages when they are covered by collective bargaining rights. - In right-to-work states, workers represented by unions are not required to pay for union services, which the report says reduces labor resources for bargaining, organizing and member support. - The study says states that protect collective bargaining rights added three times as many union members as right-to-work states. - Since 2019, average hourly wages in states that protect collective bargaining rights have grown 3% faster than in right-to-work states. - The report says union members are less dependent on Medicaid and food stamps than nonunion workers. - Union members are more likely to be homeowners, married and U.S.-born citizens, according to the study.

Between the lines: - The report frames union growth as part of a broader fight over wages and living costs. - The data suggests labor policy is becoming a sharper divider between states on pay, benefits and worker mobility. - The authors argue the wage gap is not just a union issue, but a statewide economic policy issue that affects union and nonunion workers alike. - In Illinois, the report says voters codified the right to collective bargaining in the state constitution in 2022, and that decision appears to be paying off in membership gains. - The Illinois findings also suggest that states with stronger labor protections may be better positioned to hold the line on inflation-driven household stress.

What's next: - The report says the labor movement still faces persistent challenges heading into Labor Day and beyond. - The authors suggest policymakers could repeal right-to-work laws and other measures that weaken unions. - The study is likely to keep fueling debate over whether collective bargaining rights should expand or contract as states compete on wages and cost of living. - Illinois Economic Policy Institute and the Project for Middle Class Renewal say they will continue using labor-market research to inform policy discussions.

The bottom line: - Union membership is growing again, but the gains are uneven. - States that protect collective bargaining rights are pulling ahead on unionization and wages, while right-to-work states are falling behind.