United Auto Workers union membership fell to a 15 year low in 2023.
Federal figures show the union with 370,000 members.
Cornell University Labor expert Art Wheaton says the UAW is likely to grow its membership as it works to organize non union auto plants. They should also be helped by their new contracts with the Detroit Three.
“I think anytime you can show that the union has made a significant impact or difference on the lives of the workers, it makes your organizing drive a little bit easier,” Wheaton said. “Having the President of the United States walk their picket line and saying, ‘I’m with the UAW,’ that helps, at least for half of Americans.”
UAW membership peaked in the 1970s. That’s when the union represented 1.5 million auto workers.
