Overall, unions gained some ground in 2025, reversing a trend in which membership had been declining, according to research from the Economic Policy Institute. The EPI found that 16.5 million U.S. workers were represented by a union last year, an increase of 463,000 from 2024 and the highest number of unionized workers in 16 years.
Supermarket News
March 2, 2026
Some 14.7 million workers were estimated to be members of unions in 2025, which is 10 percent of the workforce, narrowly up from the previous year. An additional 1.8 million were represented by a union but were not members. According to analysis by the Economic Policy Institute, nearly half the union growth was in the South.
Jacobin
March 2, 2026
On today’s episode of the America’s Work Force Union Podcast, Economic Policy Institute Senior Strategist Dave Kamper joined host Ed “Flash” Ferenc to discuss his book, Who’s Got the Power? The Resurgence of American Unions, and the worker-led momentum that has accelerated since the pandemic. Kamper traced his path from skeptical graduate student to union officer and organizer, then explained how EPI research helped ground labor’s moral case in measurable economic outcomes.
America's Work Force Union Podcast
March 2, 2026
The act directly protects individuals by providing statutory protection to hair texture and styles such as braids, locs, twists, etc. As of 2024, 25 states have passed the CROWN Act, according to the Economic Policy Institute.
The Arizona State Press
February 25, 2026
An Economic Policy Institute analysis of Census data found that more than 50 million workers, or 35% of the working population, earn $20 or less.
MoneyWise
February 25, 2026
Kenneth acknowledged raising the minimum wage can sometimes lead to a slight reduction in hours but it is offset by the rise in hourly pay. The Economic Policy Institute has found minimum wage increases have negligible effects on employment levels.
Public News Service
February 25, 2026
Often any job loss is limited to specific sectors. Research by the Economic Policy Institute found that the surge in Chinese imports cost the U.S. 3.7 million jobs from 2001 to 2018—and about 75% of those jobs were in manufacturing.
Investopedia
February 25, 2026
“Affordability has been a big buzzword that we’ve been hearing in the news, from our president, from workers, and there’s really no policies enacted in the last year that have made life more affordable for workers,” said Economic Policy Institute senior policy analyst Margaret Poydock, who examined the strike data in a blog last week. “Prices and pay make things more affordable, and unions are a great tool to help secure wage gains and strikes are an even more effective tool.”
The American Prospect
February 25, 2026
One million fewer people enrolled in an ACA plan this year. Up to 16 million people are projected to lose health care coverage by 2034.
“The combined effect of these policies is expected to disproportionately impact lower-income, working-class, and minority communities,” the Economic Policy Institute reported.
Memphis Flyer
February 25, 2026
President Donald Trump’s economic agenda “will make ordinary families reliably poorer in the future,” according to the author of a report published Tuesday by the Economic Policy Institute.
Josh Bivens, EPI’s chief economist, said Trump’s slashing of federal spending and jobs, mass deportations, chaotic tariffs, and anti-labor policies were suppressing hiring and wages, draining household and business spending, and slowing economic growth.
Common Dreams
February 25, 2026