{"id":3222,"date":"2026-02-18T20:00:11","date_gmt":"2026-02-19T01:00:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vr-news.net\/?p=3222"},"modified":"2026-02-18T20:00:11","modified_gmt":"2026-02-19T01:00:11","slug":"despite-relentless-attacks-nearly-half-a-million-workers-unionized-in-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vr-news.net\/?p=3222","title":{"rendered":"Despite Relentless Attacks, Nearly Half a Million Workers Unionized in 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"
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New data released today<\/a> by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows union representation<\/a> grew by 463,000 in 2025, bringing the total number of workers represented by union contracts to 16.5 million. Thanks to years of sustained organizing, 11.2% of all wage and salary workers in the United States are now covered under union contracts, up from 2024 and the highest in 16 years.<\/p>\n

\u201cBillionaire bosses and union-busting politicians have tried to throw the kitchen sink at working people and their unions\u2014slashing our jobs and rigging the rules to scare us out of organizing\u2014 but they are failing,\u201d said AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler<\/strong>. \u201cWorking people are experiencing relentless attacks on our freedoms and our livelihoods. These numbers confirm what we\u2019ve seen in the labor movement: Workers have felt President Trump\u2019s billionaire-first agenda in action and are hungry to take back their power. Workers know that the best check on a bad boss is a strong union contract. In 2026, workers will continue to organize in every corner of the country and build power to fight for the lives they deserve.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLabor is one of the last institutions in this country that working people actually trust,\u201d added Shuler. \u201cNearly 70% of Americans support unions and more than 50 million more workers are eager to join one\u2014but broken labor law still has the deck stacked against them. Too many face vicious union-busting and retaliation for organizing and punishing lay-offs even as corporate bosses rake in profits. When Trump shut down the National Labor Relations Board from functioning by denying it a quorum, workers were forced to wait\u2014beyond their own bosses\u2019 delaying tactics\u2014for their elections to be certified and legal justice to be served.\u201d<\/p>\n

The new report shows<\/a> undeniable energy across the country:<\/p>\n