Despite headwinds, more Hoosier workers unionizing
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Recent labor movements in Indiana are driving up the share of unionized workers in the right-to-work state, bucking the national trend.
Why it matters: Advocates say unions are a needed proponent of worker rights and compensation, while critics say they throttle progress in the workplace.
The big picture: The share of American workers who are members of a union hit a new low in 2023.
- 10% of the workforce was part of a union in 2023, down from 10.1% in 2022 and a high of 20.1% in 1983, the first year the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported comparable figures.
Between the lines: The slight drop in the national union membership rate came during a year of significant action for Big Labor, including:
- The UAW scoring record contracts from General Motors, Ford and Stellantis after an unprecedented strike.
- The Teamsters winning concessions from UPS without a strike.
- Actors and writers unions getting new deals from Hollywood after bruising work stoppages.
Zoom in: Indiana's share of union members ticked up last year, from 7.4% to 8% — a gain of 22,000 workers.
The latest: Earlham College faculty have been making a unionization push, seeking voluntary recognition from the Board of Trustees.
- A Change.org petition has more than 650 signatures of students, former faculty members and other supporters advocating that a union will build stability at the small private, liberal arts college in Richmond.
What they're saying: Reece Axel-Adams, leader of the student solidarity movement for the faculty union, said Earlham's small size means that students and professors develop strong bonds.
- "When a teacher leaves because of low pay … we're not just losing a teacher and a mentor. We're truly losing a friend," Axel-Adams said.
- "Because of the high turnover rate, students might have two or three different advisors during their academic life. That's just not healthy."
Zoom out: Earlham's effort joins several other high-profile unionization attempts across the Hoosier state, including the long-standing effort from Indiana University's grad workers.
- Nurses at IU Health's University and Methodist hospitals, Marion County's public defenders, workers at the Castleton REI and employees at several Indiana Starbucks have all made unionization efforts in the last year.