Meatpacking employers choose immigrants who may have precarious statuses over organized workers: Unionization rate and share of employees that are foreign-born in meatpacking, 1983–2024
| Date | Unionization rate | Foreign-born |
|---|---|---|
| 1983 | 37.4% | |
| 1984 | 33.4% | |
| 1985 | 28.3% | |
| 1986 | 26.6% | |
| 1987 | 23.9% | |
| 1988 | 20.9% | |
| 1989 | 20.5% | |
| 1990 | 21.1% | |
| 1991 | 21.6% | |
| 1992 | 20.4% | |
| 1993 | 18.2% | |
| 1994 | 19.3% | 22.4% |
| 1995 | 20.2% | 27.0% |
| 1996 | 22.4% | 26.1% |
| 1997 | 23.0% | 24.7% |
| 1998 | 22.5% | 31.1% |
| 1999 | 20.5% | 31.2% |
| 2000 | 24.0% | 34.3% |
| 2001 | 21.8% | 35.8% |
| 2002 | 21.8% | 40.1% |
| 2003 | 18.0% | 36.9% |
| 2004 | 18.7% | 36.4% |
| 2005 | 20.9% | 36.8% |
| 2006 | 20.4% | 34.2% |
| 2007 | 21.8% | 36.2% |
| 2008 | 18.0% | 42.6% |
| 2009 | 21.4% | 43.8% |
| 2010 | 23.0% | 47.4% |
| 2011 | 20.4% | 41.3% |
| 2012 | 18.3% | 43.8% |
| 2013 | 18.8% | 44.5% |
| 2014 | 18.2% | 44.3% |
| 2015 | 18.7% | 42.0% |
| 2016 | 16.9% | 38.6% |
| 2017 | 16.8% | 37.8% |
| 2018 | 17.8% | 40.8% |
| 2019 | 16.7% | 42.3% |
| 2020 | 20.3% | 37.2% |
| 2021 | 16.5% | 41.4% |
| 2022 | 17.3% | 39.2% |
| 2023 | 19.1% | 41.3% |
| 2024 | 13.5% | 46.1% |
Notes: Between 1983 and 2002 we use the “animal products industry” from non-durable manufacturing. After 2003 we use the “animal slaughtering and processing industry.” Other data (mentioned below) confirm that meatpacking constitutes a significant majority of the workers in this larger sector.
Source: EPI analysis of the Current Population Survey Outgoing Rotation Group microdata, EPI Current Population Survey Extracts, Version 2025.6.11, https://microdata.epi.org.