Union Membership Grew by 139,000 in 2023, with Texas leading the way
Today the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released its annual report on union density. The report shows that union membership nationally grew by 139,000 in 2023, with a growth of nearly 60,000 in Texas alone. Union membership in the private sector increased by 191,000 members, with a majority of new members under the age of 45. The more than 900,000 union members who won double-digit wage increases through new contracts last year are showing how coming together in unions can transform working people’s lives.
Gulf Coast AFL-CIO Executive Director Hany Khalil issued the following statement in response to the report:
Organizing, worker activism and public support of unions are all at generational highs. Workers are coming together in the Texas Gulf Coast and across the nation to speak up for each other and demand dignity and respect on the job.
A recent poll showed that nearly two-thirds of Texans today believe labor unions are good for working people, including a majority of Independents and half of Republicans. That’s because they know the union difference — a real voice on the job means safer working conditions and better wages. In the construction industry, union members in the Houston area make 38% more than their non-union counterparts, and union apprenticeships offer a debt-free, reliable pathway to the middle class.
Over 700,000 Texans are union members today because we know that It’s Better in a Union. Even in the face of vicious corporate union-busting, the labor movement is more focused and committed than ever on ensuring that every worker who wants a union has a fair shot at joining one.
For more information about union apprenticeships, visit gcaflcio.org
