AFSCME Leads Union Growth Amid Anti-Worker Challenges and Victories

Union Membership Surges Amid Worker Challenges

In the face of increasing economic challenges and attacks on worker rights, public service workers across the United States are turning to unionization as a means to secure better pay and working conditions. Recent statistics from the Bureau of Labor Statistics highlight a rise in union membership, notably within the public sector, where workers are organizing to defend their rights and improve their work environments.

The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) is at the forefront of this movement, with its members actively resisting attempts to undermine public services. AFSCME President Lee Saunders emphasized the importance of unionization, stating, “Despite unrelenting attacks on working people, public service workers are organizing, securing strong contracts, expanding collective bargaining and building power in their workplaces and communities.”

AFSCME experienced a 5% growth in 2025, marking significant achievements nationwide. In Colorado, county employees are forming unions following legislative changes in 2022 that secured their collective bargaining rights. Meanwhile, in Virginia, AFSCME members played a crucial role in electing a supportive government that is working to expand collective bargaining rights for the majority of public sector workers. These developments potentially empower hundreds of thousands of public service employees with a stronger voice in their workplaces.

The union's Cultural Workers United campaign contributed to this upward trend in 2025, boasting over 50,000 members in vital cultural institutions like museums and libraries across the country. Read more about the successes of cultural worker organizing here.

Alongside expanding union rights, AFSCME and its labor allies scored a significant win in Utah by defeating a proposed law that threatened to revoke union rights from public sector employees. Through strategic organizing, a ballot initiative was launched, leading to the repeal of this contentious legislation. Learn more about the Utah anti-union law reversal here.

These victories, which span across political divides and various types of workplaces, underscore a growing, widespread support for unions throughout the nation. Explore the expansion of collective bargaining in Virginia here. Read more about the pro-worker trifecta in Virginia here.