Why Ohio's union membership declined in 2023
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The ratio of Ohio workers who are members of a union declined in 2023, but still remains above the national rate.
Why it matters: Advocates say unions are a needed proponent of worker rights and compensation, while critics say unions throttle progress in the workplace, Axios' Nathan Bomey writes.
By the numbers: 12.5% of Ohio workers were in a union last year, down slightly from 12.8% in 2022.
- The total number of unionized workers remained unchanged (at around 641,000), but the workforce grew by a few hundred thousand Ohioans in that time.
- An additional 50,000 workers are not union members, but their jobs are covered by a labor association contract.
The big picture: The share of American workers in a union hit a new low in 2023, to just one in 10 — down significantly from 20.1% in 1983, the first year of data reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- A far greater percentage of public workers (32.5%) are in a union compared to private-sector workers (6%).
- Union members earned a median income of $1,263 per week compared to $1,090 for non-union workers.
Between the lines: Ohio's shifting jobs landscape has contributed to the decline in union workers.
- The state lost nearly 340,000 manufacturing jobs — which tend to be heavily unionized — between 2000-2022, per federal data compiled by the left-leaning think tank Policy Matters Ohio.
- Ohio lost tens of thousands more jobs in the utilities, construction and government sectors, which also historically have had significant levels of union membership.
Yes, but: The state gained approximately 200,000 jobs in education and health services during that period, both of which have seen new unionization campaigns of late.
- In just the first month of 2024, workers have voted to unionize at OSU Wexner Medical Center, Upper Arlington Public Library and a Starbucks shop in Worthington.
- Unionizing efforts last year involved Columbus College of Art & Design faculty and substitutes at Columbus City Schools.