|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
An analysis of data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics reveals that Alabama experienced the sixth largest decrease in union membership among all 50 states between 2013 and 2023.
As of 2023, only 156,000 workers in Alabama are members of a union — a 23.2 percent drop from 203,000 in 2013. The greatest decrease in union membership over the same period was experienced in Alaska (-36.6 percent), followed by Wisconsin (-35.3 percent), West Virginia (-31.0 percent), South Carolina (-29.0 percent), and Iowa (-25.2 percent).
However, in terms of percentage of all employed residents, Alabama’s union members make up 7.5 percent of all Alabama employees. This remains below the average national rate of around 9.6 percent, but ties Alabama with New Mexico for the 29th highest unionization rate in the country. The statistics reveal that while Alabama has experienced a sharp decrease in union membership over the past decade, its average union membership remains higher than nearly half of the country.
Additionally, the reported 23.2 percent decrease belies the fact that union membership in Alabama has actually been on the rise as of late. The state has experienced a steady increase in union membership over the past few years, climbing to that 7.5 percent figure after reaching a decade-low of 5.9 percent in 2021.
One must also take into account that Alabama’s working class population has grown since 2013: 1.89 million Alabamians were employed in 2013 whereas 2.08 million are employed today. This growth in the working class population accounts for some of the long-term decline in unionization numbers: even though the total number of union members in Alabama is currently at its highest peak since 2019, the rate is lower than it was in 2020 due to more Alabamians entering the workforce.
Indeed, significant efforts have been made recently to increase unionization in Alabama and across the South. Most notably, the United Auto Workers made a concerted effort to unionize Mercedes-Benz workers in Alabama earlier this year. That vote ultimately failed in May, but the UAW’s work might be an indication of — or inspiration for — a broader push to increase union membership in the state.
This year has also seen multiple unions go on strike to secure better compensation and benefits for their members, including the Communication Workers of America whose Southeast regional members — which includes its workers in Alabama — began a strike last week in response to alleged unfair labor practices by AT&T. The International Longshoremen’s Association is also preparing for an upcoming strike which will include workers in Mobile and across the East and Gulf Coasts.
If these unions end up securing better compensation, cost-of-living adjustments, and other benefits for their associated members in Alabama, then more workers in the state may be inspired to become members at their local union or to begin efforts to form their own unions.
Unionization in Alabama has been declining for the better part of the past decade, but in recent years that trend has begun to reverse. With steadily increasing union activity and support in the South and across the country, it is still possible that union membership in Alabama could grow substantially in the decade to come.
