GREAT NEWS FOR THE LABOR MOVEMENT!

Study Shows Last Year Saw Largest Growth in U.S. Union Membership in Two Decades

The 12th annual State of the Unions study from the Illinois Economic Policy Institute and the Project for Middle Class Renewal shows that the nation added more union members last year than at any point in the past seventeen years driven by a surge from states that have protected, restored, or strengthened collective bargaining rights. With public support for unions also near historic highs, the study highlights a growing union membership, wage, and affordability gap between states that have protected collective bargaining rights and those with so-called “right-to-work” laws.

In 2025, Illinois added 24,000 union members (following a gain of 27,000 in 2024) and now has its most union members since 2019. Illinois unions organized more members from 2022 through 2025 than the previous seven years combined.

Notably, Illinois workers earn 19% more per hour than their peers in four neighboring states with “right-to-work” laws. Unions also promote job quality with military veterans, Black workers, U.S. citizens, and public service workers among the most unionized groups. In Illinois, unions raised wages by 11%, the 5th-highest union advantage in the nation.