The union push is growing among retail workers.
“Unions have been making a lot of noise in retail recently and people are taking noticed. Just a few days ago, more than 10,000 Kroger workers in Colorado went on strike, citing unfair labor practices. Costco narrowly avoided a strike by the Teamsters after tense months-long contract negotiations. And both Amazon and Starbucks experienced high-profile strikes in the days leading up to Christmas.
Americans are increasingly taking the side of workers as public opinion has turned overwhelmingly pro-union in recent years. Fifteen years ago, only about half of Americans approved of unions. Last year, it rose to 70%, just one percentage point below the 71% hit in 2022. That was a historic high since 1972 when Gallup began tracking union approval ratings annually.
Despite retail being the nation’s leading private-sector employer, only 4% of retail workers belong to a union, lower than the 6% rate of American private-sector workers overall, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. However, the retail union membership rate ticked up from 3.7% in 2023. My suspicion is that rate will continue to grow because retail workers feel underappreciated, disrespected and under-rewarded by their employers.”
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