Union membership in the U.S. private sector fell below 6% in 2024, the lowest in more than a century and even lower than before union organizing first gained legal protection. The persistent decline from a high of 32% in 1953 has been so constant that it seems irreversible. If the historical trend continues, membership will drop below 1% in just 25 years.
The hospitality industry does not perfectly reflect the national statistics. Hotel workers (7.2%) remain above the national average, but restaurant and bar employees (1.6%) are now among the lowest in the nation. UNITE HERE, the primary labor union representing hospitality workers, has also struggled to maintain its numbers and influence. Some of its local affiliates, particularly those in major cities, have achieved considerable gains recently, but their growth has not been enough to offset losses in smaller and less concentrated markets.
In the few areas where the union has grown, it has not been through traditional government-supervised elections. Alternative strategies are proving increasingly effective and may indicate a path to resist or even reverse the trajectory toward extinction. If recent successes continue, UNITE HERE’s approach may become the model for labor union survival.
READ THE FULL ARTICLE BY BILL WERNER IN THE WINTER 2025 EDITION OF GAMING & LEISURE MAGAZINE.