Union Membership and Density Among Professionals Grew Again in 2025

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Katie Barrows
Communications Director
P: 202-549-5991
kbarrows@dpeaflcio.org

WASHINGTON, Feb. 18, 2026 — Nearly 170,000 professionals joined unions in 2025, pushing total professional union membership to more than 6.6 million, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ annual union membership report. Union density among professionals also increased, rising to 10.5 percent.

“Even amid economic uncertainty, professionals are organizing in growing numbers,” said DPE President Jennifer Dorning. “Through collective bargaining, professionals are building stability, fairness, and a stronger voice at work.”

Growth was driven largely by professionals employed by state governments and nonprofit organizations. While gains in the private, for-profit sector were more modest, both union membership and union density increased there as well.

Professionals in the nonprofit sector and higher education continue to lead the surge in organizing. From 2022 to 2025, professional union membership in the nonprofit sector jumped 25.8 percent, with union density rising from 7.4 percent to 8.9 percent. In higher education, professional union membership grew by 17.2 percent, and union density climbed from 13.7 percent to 15.3 percent.

These figures do not capture professionals who have successfully organized unions but have not yet ratified their first contracts. Still, more professionals won their unions last year.

“Professionals grew union membership last year despite unprecedented attacks on workers’ rights,” Dorning said. “Outdated labor laws and under-resourced enforcement agencies continue to prevent millions of professionals from organizing. Congress must act to ensure professionals across sectors can fully exercise their right to unionize.”

About DPE

The Department for Professional Employees, AFL-CIO (DPE) is a coalition of 24 unions representing over four million professional and technical union members. DPE affiliate unions represent professionals in over 300 occupations in education and healthcare; science, engineering, and technology; legal, business, and management; media, entertainment, and the arts; and public administration.

DPE Condemns Trump’s EO Attacking Federal Sector Collective Bargaining, Stands in Solidarity with Federal Sector Unions

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Katie Barrows
Communications Director
P: 202-549-5991
kbarrows@dpeaflcio.org

WASHINGTON, March 28, 2025 - Last night, President Trump issued an executive order stripping the collective bargaining rights of over a million federal employees who work at a wide range of agencies, including the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Department of Treasury, under the guise of national security.

Department for Professional Employees, AFL-CIO (DPE) President Jennifer Dorning issued the following statement in response to this executive order:

“President Trump’s executive order attempting to dismantle federal employees' collective bargaining rights is a blatant attack on working people, including the members of multiple DPE affiliate unions. Professionals across the federal workforce join together in union to improve their workplaces and help deliver quality, reliable services to the American people. Our country is weakened by this unprecedented attempt at union-busting. President Trump’s actions demonstrate that he does not respect workers.

We stand with our affiliates and their members in the federal government as well as the broader labor movement.”

About DPE

The Department for Professional Employees, AFL-CIO (DPE) is a coalition of 24 unions representing over four million professional and technical union members. DPE affiliate unions represent professionals in over 300 occupations in education and healthcare; science, engineering, and technology; legal, business, and management; media, entertainment, and the arts; and public administration.

DPE Applauds PRO Act Re-introduction

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Katie Barrows
Communications Director
P: 202-549-5991
kbarrows@dpeaflcio.org

WASHINGTON, March 5, 2025 - Today, the Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act was introduced for the 119th Congress in the U.S. House of Representatives by Rep. Bobby Scott (D-Va.) and Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.), and was introduced in the U.S. Senate by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.). The PRO Act will level the playing field for professionals by modernizing the National Labor Relations Act through provisions to help hold employers accountable when they break the law, empower workers to exercise their workplace rights, and promote free and fair union elections. Department for Professionals Employees, AFL-CIO (DPE) President Jennifer Dorning released the following statement in response to the introduction of the PRO Act: 

“Most professionals want to join a union and there has been an increase in workplace activism in recent years. However, federal labor law does not effectively protect professionals’ right to form a union and negotiate with their employer collectively in the private sector. The weak penalties employers are subject to when they break the law do not deter them from intimidating and retaliating against employees during union organizing campaigns and intentionally holding up first union contract negotiations. The PRO Act will improve federal labor law by creating real consequences for employers who break the law, making employer tactics that interfere with elections illegal, and facilitating productive negotiations to encourage quicker agreement on first union contracts.

I applaud Representatives Scott and Fitzpatrick and Senator Sanders, along with the original cosponsors, for introducing this critical legislation that protects working peoples’ right to join together in union and bargain for better pay, benefits, and working conditions.”

About DPE

The Department for Professional Employees, AFL-CIO (DPE) is a coalition of 24 unions representing over four million professional and technical union members. DPE affiliate unions represent professionals in over 300 occupations in education and healthcare; science, engineering, and technology; legal, business, and management; media, entertainment, and the arts; and public administration.

Professional Union Membership Grew in 2024

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Katie Barrows
Communications Director
P: 202-549-5991
kbarrows@dpeaflcio.org

WASHINGTON, Jan. 28, 2025 - The number of professionals in unions reached nearly 6.5 million in 2024, according to today’s Bureau of Labor Statistics’ (BLS) annual union membership report. This is a slight increase of 32,000 from 2023. The increase in the number of union professionals is part of a longer trend in professionals’ growing presence in the labor movement. The number of professionals in the U.S. workforce also increased in 2024, growing by 39,000 to reach almost 62.8 million. Union density of professionals in 2024 was 10.3 percent.

“I am excited to see that more professionals are joining the labor movement,” said Department for Professional Employees, AFL-CIO (DPE) President Jennifer Dorning. “DPE’s research shows that when professionals learn they have the right to join together in union and improve their workplace, they start taking steps to exercise their rights. Today’s BLS numbers reinforce this research. Still, there is a lot of room for union membership growth among professionals. I invite professionals who are interested in forming a union at their workplace to contact us to discuss next steps.” 

In 2024, professional union membership saw notable increases in the federal and local government sectors.

The number of professionals in unions also grew in a wide variety of occupations, including:

• Architects, engineers, and scientists

• Education and childcare administrators

• EMTs and paramedics

• Firefighters and fire inspectors

• Lawyers, judges, and judicial law clerks

• Library technicians

• Management (i.e. marketing managers, sale managers, fundraising managers)

• News analysts, reporters, and journalists

• Scientific and clinical laboratory technicians

• School and family social workers and mental health counselors

• Registered nurses and healthcare technicians

• Scientific and clinical laboratory technicians

• School and family social workers and mental health counselors

• Urban and regional planners

• Utility plant operators

• Web developers, computer support specialists, network and computer systems administrators, and other computer occupations

The annual union membership data from the BLS includes dues paying members and does not account for active organizing that is currently taking place across the United States. Unions of professionals that have been organizing or won their unions in the past year are likely not reflected in the 2024 BLS union membership data. However, organizing momentum among professionals grew in many sectors and occupations in 2024, including among visual effects artists, nonprofit employees, and healthcare professionals.

Unfortunately, broken labor law remains a barrier for many professionals to be successful in forming their unions. Employers use a variety of tactics to bust employees’ unions, including hiring consultants to help spread misinformation, retaliating against union leaders in the workplace, and refusing to bargain in good faith for prolonged periods of time, and they often face no or little consequences for these anti-union activities.

“Reforms to labor law are needed so that employees who choose to organize a union in their workplace have a fair opportunity to win their union,” said Dorning. “I call on lawmakers to do right by professionals as well as all working people and address broken labor law.”

About DPE

The Department for Professional Employees, AFL-CIO (DPE) is a coalition of 24 unions representing over four million professional and technical union members. DPE affiliate unions represent professionals in over 300 occupations in education and healthcare; science, engineering, and technology; legal, business, and management; media, entertainment, and the arts; and public administration.

Professional Union Membership Made Gains in 2023

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Katie Barrows
Communications Director
P: 202-549-5991
Kbarrows@dpeaflcio.org

WASHINGTON, Jan. 23, 2024 - Professional union membership grew by over 185,000 in 2023, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ annual union membership report released today. This increase in membership brings the total of professionals in unions up from 6.26 million in 2022 to 6.45 million in 2023, which is a new high for professional union membership. Union density among professionals saw little change in 2023 partially due to the growth in total employment of professionals. Density was 10.32 percent in 2023 compared to 10.45 percent in 2022. Additionally, overall union membership ticked up in 2023 to 14.4 million.

“Professionals in unions are exercising their workplace rights and winning improved working conditions,” said DPE President Jennifer Dorning. “The frequency and visibility of these victories combined with changes in the economy, such as high inflation, short staffing, and increasing use of AI in the workplace, have shown professionals that they need a real say in their workplaces, which can be achieved by joining together in union.” 

The nonprofit and federal sectors saw large increases in union membership among professionals in 2023, with membership growing by 13 percent and 5 percent, respectively. Additionally, school administration was an occupation category that saw a large bump in union membership in 2023, growing by 14 percent. DPE affiliates representing professional employees across the country contributed to these organizing gains by fostering solidarity and effectively demonstrating the value of union membership. 

Professionals have become an increasingly larger share of the labor movement. In 2023, professionals made up 45 percent of all union members, up one percentage point from 44 percent in 2022. A decade prior, in 2013, professionals made up 40 percent of all union members. 

“DPE is proud to support our affiliated unions as they bring a growing number of professionals together in union to raise standards in their workplaces and in workplaces across the U.S.,” said Dorning. “Professionals are continuing to prove that they are an important part of the current and future labor movement.”

About DPE

The Department for Professional Employees, AFL-CIO (DPE) is a coalition of 24 unions representing over four million professional and technical union members. DPE affiliate unions represent professionals in over 300 occupations in education and healthcare; science, engineering, and technology; legal, business, and management; media, entertainment, and the arts; and public administration.

DPE Applauds Introduction of the PRO Act in the House and Senate, Urges Passage

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Katie Barrows
Communications Director
P: 202-549-5991
kbarrows@dpeaflcio.org

WASHINGTON, February 28, 2023 - Today, Rep. Bobby Scott (Va.), Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (Pa.), and Sen. Bernie Sanders (Vt.) introduced the Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act in the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate. The bipartisan PRO Act will ensure that professionals covered by the National Labor Relations Act can exercise their right to join together in union and negotiate collectively with their employers by restoring the original intent of the law. Department for Professionals Employees, AFL-CIO (DPE) President Jennifer Dorning released the following statement in response to the introduction of the PRO Act: 

“I’m excited the PRO Act has been introduced in both houses of Congress. I thank Rep. Bobby Scott (Va.), Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (Pa.), and Sen. Bernie Sanders for introducing this critical, bipartisan piece of workers’ rights legislation, and I applaud those members of Congress joining them as co-sponsors.

Working people across the country, including professionals, are organizing unions and exercising their workplace rights in numbers not seen in decades. Professionals have won union elections in historically unorganized industries and sectors, including at tech companies, digital media organizations, and nonprofits. Through their unions, professionals are raising standards by securing meaningful pay increases and fostering equitable workplaces. Nonunion professionals have taken notice, and according to DPE’s recent survey a strong majority want to join a union. However, many professionals struggle to exercise their workplace rights because of outdated labor laws. Employers too often spread misinformation, intimidate workers, and retaliate against workplace leaders during union organizing campaigns. Additionally, when professionals prevail in their union elections, employers, in many cases, intentionally delay first contract negotiations, which today take on average 465 days to complete. The PRO Act will create mechanisms to hold employers accountable when they break the law, provide for free and fair union elections, and ensure professionals can reach a first contract quickly after their union is recognized. Passing the PRO Act is needed to allow more professionals to improve their workplaces and create good, family-supporting careers. 

I strongly urge the House and Senate to send the PRO Act to the President’s desk where it will be signed into law to ensure working people can exercise their basic right to join together in union and restore fairness to our economy.”

About DPE

The Department for Professional Employees, AFL-CIO (DPE) is a coalition of 24 unions representing over four million professional and technical union members. DPE affiliate unions represent professionals in over 300 occupations in education and healthcare; science, engineering, and technology; legal, business, and management; media, entertainment, and the arts; and public administration.

Professionals Union Membership Remains Constant in 2022

WASHINGTON, Jan. 19, 2023 - Professional union membership saw a slight increase in 2022 growing to 6.27 million from 6.24 million in 2021, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ report on union membership. However, union density among professionals dipped due to rising employment across the U.S. economy to 10.5 percent in 2022 from 11 percent in 2021. Overall union membership rose about 1.9 percent from 2021 to 2022.

Although union membership among professionals as a whole did not surge in 2022, professionals still formed new unions. Professionals formed their first unions at big-name companies, like REI, Medieval Times, and Apple, as well as at well-known nonprofits, animation studios, and creative arts productions. 

“Many professionals realize that by joining together in union they gain the power to negotiate for higher wages, better benefits, and improved working conditions,” said Department for Professional Employees, AFL-CIO (DPE) Jennifer Dorning. “I congratulate all the professionals who joined together in union last year. While organizing is hard work, the lasting change that occurs when professionals gain a voice in workplace decisions is well worth the effort.”

In 2022, union professionals continued to be employed at high levels in the public sector, and in the education and healthcare fields. Specifically:

• 67 percent of union professionals were in the public sector;

• 47 percent of union professionals were in education; and

• 17 percent of union professionals were in healthcare.

In addition, professional union membership increased in occupations and industries with potential for continued growth, including architecture and engineering; community and social service; and art, design, entertainment, sports, and media.

“To grow as a labor movement, we need to continue to support organizing in all areas of the economy, including traditionally unorganized sectors. Union organizing has surged in recent years, and I’m hopeful that more professionals will be encouraged to exercise their workplace rights this year,” said Dorning.

About DPE

The Department for Professional Employees, AFL-CIO (DPE) is a coalition of 24 unions representing over four million professional and technical union members. DPE affiliate unions represent professionals in over 300 occupations in education and healthcare; science, engineering, and technology; legal, business, and management; media, entertainment, and the arts; and public administration.