Thomas Kochan and John S. Ahlquist | Harvard Business Review | 10/7/2024
Interest among the American workforce in unions has increased significantly in the past five years. Our own survey of more than 2,500 frontline U.S. workers finds that younger respondents (ages 30 and under) are especially open to unionization. In fact, this group has already put their views into action. Nearly all union growth in 2023 (229,000 new members) came from workers under the age of 45.
Like many workers, however, employees in any age cohort may not have clear expectations about what it takes to form a union. (Our survey shows that while young workers tend to be more interested in joining unions than their older counterparts, many of them are also unsure about how to do so.) As two academics who have studied these issues for many years — and who work closely with both unions and companies to improve labor-management relations — we offer insights that can help you navigate the initial stages of this process.
Let’s start by reviewing the basics. Having some foundational knowledge around why employees join unions and how they are structured can help inform your first points of action.
