by Susan N.
As we prepare to take part in collective actions on May 1, let’s show some love to U.S. labor unions, which are facing sustained attack by the Trump administration.
First, the good news. In 2025, the number of workers represented by a union increased by half a million compared with 2024, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). This stat includes both union members and non-members who are in a unionized workplace.
The bad news? Union members account for only 10% of the U.S. workforce, only 14.7 million workers.
Back in 1983, the first year BLS collected comparable data, 17.7 million workers, representing 20.1% of the workforce, belonged to a union. Labor was already under assault by then, weakened by a Republican filibuster that kyboshed the Labor Reform Act of 1978. Unions faced further erosion during the Reagan Administration, which busted the Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization in 1981, among other anti-labor efforts.
In 2012, when Trump still hosted “The Apprentice,” the Economic Policy Institute identified a connection between rising inequality and the decline of unions.
People have the power
Unions are a powerful organizing force, coordinating general strikes, rallies and other actions that can lead to lasting changes well beyond the workplace.
For example, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 1021 is a key partner to Indivisible East Bay and a co-organizer of the Oakland No Kings marches (along with the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment, East Bay DSA, Oakland Education Association and Oil and Gas Action Network). These same groups were among the 20,000 who marched and rallied with us in Oakland on March 28.
Looking ahead, Bay Area labor unions are similarly supporting May Day 2026. These include SEIU Local 1021, SEIU United Service Workers West (USWW), United Educators of San Francisco and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) Local 10.
“This country was built on the backs of immigrants, on the backs of working people. We need to stand up and make sure we take care of each other,” said SEIU Local 1021 president Theresa Rutherford during a recent mass non-cooperation training event hosted by Bay Resistance and May Day Strong.
Take action
If you’re among the vast majority of U.S. workers who are not in a union, here are some ways you can support them:
- Show up in solidarity at the many actions organized by unions around the Bay Area.
- Bring food or beverages to picket lines to support striking workers.
- Actively shop at places that support unions—and boycott those that don’t.
- Follow unions on social media and use your platform to amplify their work.
- Voice your support with letters to the editor of your local paper.
- Call local politicians to state your support of union actions.
- Donate to Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) Labor Solidarity Fund or the Emergency Workplace Organizing Committee, a project of the United Electric, Radio and Machine Workers of America (UE) and DSA.
For more ideas, read “What Can I Do to Help the Labor Movement?” by Hamilton Nolan
