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FACT BRIEF

Has union membership been on the decline in Wisconsin?

By Jacob Alabab-Moser
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YES

Union membership in Wisconsin is at its lowest since at least 1989, the earliest year for which the Bureau of Labor Statistics has data. It currently stands at 7.1% of the state workforce.

In all, 187,000 Wisconsin workers were members of unions or employee associations similar to unions in 2022 — down 13% from 215,000 just the year before. Since 1989, membership is down 59%, when 456,000 workers were union members. 

Union membership has been declining nationwide for many years, but Wisconsin's drop is among the most significant. Wisconsin Policy Forum attributes this to the state's passage of Act 10 and right-to-work laws, which waived union dues as a condition of employment for people under a union contract.

WPF also cited production shifting overseas, increasing automation and the rise of service-sector jobs as additional factors in Wisconsin's diminishing union influence.

See a full discussion of this at Wisconsin Watch
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
US Bureau of Labor Statistics Union membership historical table for Wisconsin
US Bureau of Labor Statistics Union members — 2022
Wisconsin Policy Forum State drop in unions among nation’s largest
Wisconsin Public Radio Wisconsin union membership is the lowest it's been since at least 1989
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Wisconsin Watch
Wisconsin Watch, the news arm of the nonpartisan, nonprofit Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism, increases the quality and quantity of investigative reporting in Wisconsin, while training current and future investigative journalists. Its work fosters an informed citizenry and strengthens democracy.
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Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.