Texas unions see slight growth amid national low

The share of Texas workers who are union members remains one of the lowest in the nation, but recent data show a slight uptick in joiners over the last three years.

What's happening: Just 4.5% of the Texas workforce were union members in 2023, up from 3.8% in 2021, according to figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

• That's still less than half the national figure, which sunk to a new low of 10% last year, Axios' Nathan Bomey reports .

Why it matters: Advocates say unions are a needed proponent of worker rights and compensation, while critics say unions throttle progress in the workplace.

Context: The national drop in union workers came despite approval of unions in 2022 reaching its highest point since 1965, according to Gallup.

• And recent polling by The Texas Politics Project shows 64% of Texans have a positive view of labor unions, up from 57% in 2022.
• Nearly 1 in 5 said they're "bad" for workers and 16% didn't know or didn't have an opinion.

Zoom in: In recent years, Austin has seen new unionization efforts by baristas , nurses , pizza workers and journalists .

What they're saying: Rick Levy, Texas AFL-CIO president, said the latest growth matches what the labor group has seen in the state.

• "The number of new unions that are forming here is more than any time I can remember," he told Axios.
• Levy said the AFL-CIO is seeing employees unionize in industries that "have never even heard the 'U' word before," such as tech , nonprofits and coffee shops . "We have some work to do to keep up with the moment."

Yes, but: Texas has a long way to go to be in line with national figures, and Levy said that's partly because national groups haven't seen the state as fertile ground for organizing.

• Twenty-seven states, including Texas have "right to work" laws in place that prevent private-sector unions from collecting fees from all members.
• The laws remain a headwind as union organizing efforts pick up, labor advocates say.

What we're watching: How union rates in 2024 will be impacted by a deceleration in statewide job growth.

• The Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas this week reported a slowdown in Texas job growth during the last three months of 2023, suggesting a return to a more historically normal pace of expansion.

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