Over the past year, there has been a notable influx of energy surrounding the labor movement, with tight labor markets giving workers a greater ability to demand better wages. At the same time, popular support for unions reached highs not seen since the 1960s. To take full advantage of the moment, a comprehensive policy rethink is needed.

Organizing successes by Starbucks and Amazon workers drove home the message that workers are ready for a new set of employment standards. However, it is yet to be determined whether those dynamics have or will translate into durable increases in union membership and national influence.

We now have our first indication of what to expect going forward. After a solid year of union filings, comparable to levels from the mid-2000s, the Bureau of Labor Statistics today released its union participation estimates for 2022. Despite what was heralded as a seminal year for organizing, the proportion of workers represented by unions actually decreased. While more workers belong to a union now than a year ago, the uptick failed to keep pace with national job growth.

The past year may indeed be a starting point for a resurgence of organized labor. Still, the disconnect between the enthusiasm for unions and actual union participation is unmistakable. A surplus of available jobs may have established favorable conditions for workers to form unions, but cannot be single-handedly relied on to reverse the chronic, 50-year decline in union strength.

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