Current:Home > StocksUAW membership peaked at 1.5 million workers in the late 70s, here's how it's changed -Visionary Wealth Guides
UAW membership peaked at 1.5 million workers in the late 70s, here's how it's changed
View
Date:2025-04-19 19:15:28
Nearly 13,000 United Auto Workers walked off the job after the deadline expired to land a new deal with the Big 3 U.S. automakers.
The "Stand Up Strike," is set to potentially become one of the largest in the industry's history, targeting not one but all of the "Detroit Three," the largest automotive manufactures in the country.
UAW members are currently on strike at three assembly plants in Michigan, Ohio and Missouri.
What is UAW?
The International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America, also known as the United Auto Workers, is a union with 400,000 active members and more than 580,000 retired members throughout the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico.
The UAW has 600 local unions and represents workers across the industry, including multinational corporations, small manufacturers, state and local governments, colleges and universities, hospitals and private non-profit organizations, according to their website.
In 2019, the UAW went on strike, with 46,000 GM employees stopping work for 40 days, costing GM $3 billion.
UAW membership by year
UAW membership had fluctuated over the past 15 years, but is not nearly as high as historic membership levels. Nearly two decades ago, the UAW had more than 650,000 members. Its peak was 1.5 million in 1979.
In the past 10 years, union membership peaked in 2017 at 430,871 members and has slowly declined since.
Strike activity increases but union membership dwindles
In the first eight months of 2023, more than 323,000 workers walked off the job for better benefits, pay and/ or working conditions. But the rate of union members is the lowest its been in decades. In the 1950s, 1 in 3 workers were represented by a union. Now it’s closer to 1 in 10.
"Union density reached a high of over 30% in the post-World War II decades in the 1950s and 1960s," said Kent Wong, director of the UCLA Labor Center.
Why is union membership so low?
Labor laws in the U.S. make it more difficult for employees to form unions: More than two dozen states have passed "Right to Work" laws, making it more difficult for workers to unionize. These laws provide union representation to nonunion members in union workplaces – without requiring the payment of union dues. It also gives workers the option to join a union or opt out.
Even if workers succeed in winning a union election, it's a two-step hurdle, Wong said. "They have to prevail in an election to be certified as the bargaining unit representing the workers in any given a workplace. But beyond that, they have to get the company to agree to a contract.
Which states have the most union-represented employees?
Almost a quarter of workers living in Hawaii are represented by unions, according to the labor statistics bureau. At least 19 states have higher rates of employees represented by unions compared with the national average. South Carolina had the lowest rate of union represented employees at 2%.
UAW strike:Workers at 3 plants in 3 states launch historic action against Detroit Three
Explainer:Here's why the US labor movement is so popular but union membership is dwindling
veryGood! (458)
Related
- Opinion: Gianni Infantino, FIFA sell souls and 2034 World Cup for Saudi Arabia's billions
- Kylie Jenner and Jordyn Woods Reunite 4 Years After Tristan Thompson Cheating Scandal
- Inexpensive Solar Panels Are Essential for the Energy Transition. Here’s What’s Happening With Prices Right Now
- Environmental Justice Advocates Urge California to Stop Issuing New Drilling Permits in Neighborhoods
- This was the average Social Security benefit in 2004, and here's what it is now
- An Ohio College Town Wants to Lead on Fighting Climate Change. It Also Has a 1940s-Era, Diesel-Burning Power Plant
- How Wildfire Smoke from Australia Affected Climate Events Around the World
- Carbon Credit Market Seizes On a New Opportunity: Plugging Oil and Gas Wells
- Israel lets Palestinians go back to northern Gaza for first time in over a year as cease
- As Water Levels Drop, the Risk of Arsenic Rises
Ranking
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Hi Hi!
- Hobbled by Bureaucracy, a German R&D Program Falls Short of Climate-Friendly Goals
- RHONJ's Dolores Catania Reveals Weight Loss Goal After Dropping 20 Pounds on Ozempic
- The Solar Industry Gained Jobs Last Year. But Are Those Good Jobs, and Could They Be Better?
- Are Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp down? Meta says most issues resolved after outages
- Kim Kardashian Reacts After TikToker Claims SKIMS Shapewear Saved Her Life
- Hobbled by Bureaucracy, a German R&D Program Falls Short of Climate-Friendly Goals
- Save Up to 97% On Tarte Cosmetics: Get $252 Worth of Eyeshadow for $28 and More Deals on Viral Products
Recommendation
Working Well: When holidays present rude customers, taking breaks and the high road preserve peace
UN Adds New Disclosure Requirements For Upcoming COP28, Acknowledging the Toll of Corporate Lobbying
Carlee Russell's Parents Confirm Police Are Searching for Her Abductor After Her Return Home
Climate Change Made the Texas Heat Wave More Intense. Renewables Softened the Blow
What to know about Tuesday’s US House primaries to replace Matt Gaetz and Mike Waltz
RHONY's Bethenny Frankel and Jill Zarin Have Epic Reunion 13 Years After Feud
Bracing for Climate Impacts on Lake Erie, the Walleye Capital of the World
States Test an Unusual Idea: Tying Electric Utilities’ Profit to Performance