2023 saw some big labor relations developments, with the UAW's strike at the Big Three grabbing headlines as well as the nationwide campaign at Starbucks continuing to unfold. Union election petitions and wins at the ballot box also climbed. But did this translate into unions reversing their decades-long decline in terms of membership numbers? Not really.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) has released its annual report on union membership trends in America, and there is a lot of data to unpack. Here are some of the highlights:

• Union membership rates across private and public sector workers dropped to 10 percent, down from 10.1 percent in 2022. For comparison, when this data first became available in 1983, that number was at 20.1 percent – or double where unions are now. 
• Private sector union membership remains at an all-time low at 6 percent. The public sector rate is more than five times that number, at 32.5 percent (but that's down from 33.1 percent in 2022).
• Women have continued to close the gender gap in terms of union membership. In 1983, men had a 24.7 percent participation rate versus women at 14.6 percent. Based on the latest report, men are now at 10.5 percent to women at 9.6 percent. But this is largely unchanged from 2022.
• Hawaii and New York remain the states with the highest union density, with union membership rates landing at 24.1 and 20.6 percent, respectively. The Carolinas have the lowest rates, with South Carolina at 2.3 percent and North Carolina coming in at 2.7 percent.
• The report also notes with regard to industry-specific data: “The number of union workers employed in the private sector increased by 191,000 to 7.4 million in 2023, while the unionization rate was unchanged at 6.0 percent. Industries with high unionization rates included utilities (19.9 percent), transportation and warehousing (15.9 percent), educational services (12.9 percent), and motion picture and sound recording industries (12.1 percent). Low unionization rates occurred in finance (1.2 percent), professional and technical services (1.3 percent), food services and drinking places (1.4 percent), and insurance (1.5 percent)."

The fact union numbers have remained stagnant despite perceived enthusiasm at Starbucks and other high-profile companies is notable. Nevertheless, employers should remain cognizant of the fact that the National Labor Relations Board recently has altered the union election framework in several ways that make it easier for unions to get voted into a workplace. We'll see if 2024 is the year unions can turn their numbers around.