WHEREAS: 

Nationwide, workers are eager to see the union difference in their lives, as 67% of Americans support labor unions, the highest level of support in nearly 60 years. Yet while unions added 191,000 members in 2023, the unionization rate still declined slightly as growth in nonunion jobs outpaced that of union jobs; and  

WHEREAS: 

While just 11.2% of workers were covered by a union contract in 2023, survey data shows that nearly half (48%) of nonunion workers would vote to unionize their workplaces if they could. This equates to 60 million American workers who want a union but do not have one. This is largely due to the resistance, delays, threats and retribution — both legal and illegal — that employers use to prevent their workers from unionizing, and the weak labor laws that do far too little to stop such behavior; and 

WHEREAS: 

Workers are more productive than ever, but the economic benefits of their productivity have not resulted in corresponding increases in pay. From 1979 to 2020, worker productivity grew by more than 60% but average hourly pay grew by less than 20% (adjusting for inflation). Instead, the profits from this productivity are funneled into the paychecks of higher income workers and higher profits for employers and shareholders; and  

WHEREAS: 

The union difference results in significantly higher wages for workers. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ (BLS) annual Union Members Survey, the median weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers who are members of unions was nearly $9,000 more per year than nonunion workers. The union difference means even more than a living wage. A strong union gives workers a voice on the job regarding staffing and workplace safety and provides quality health care benefits and a secure retirement; and 
 
WHEREAS: 

The union difference helps close the racial pay gap for workers. In states where public sector employers must collectively bargain, Black and Hispanic workers earn more in state and local government than in the private sector, where they face racial pay diparities. In states where collective bargaining is allowed but not required, Black and Hispanic workers do not outperform the private sector, exacerbating pay gaps; and  

WHEREAS: 

Private sector workers are eager for greater union representation. In fiscal year (FY) 2023, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) saw the highest number of cases filed since FY 2016 for private sector workers. This follows a historic 53% increase in union representation petitions. The NLRB also saw a 19% increase in Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) charges filed last year, showing that employers are increasing their efforts to block unionizing; and 

WHEREAS: 

Public sector unions and workers have seen gains and losses in recent years, with the expansion of public sector collective bargaining in Colorado and Virginia leading to robust union organizing throughout those states. However, in other states like Florida, anti-worker elected officials have enacted laws that obstruct workers from exercising their right to bargain collectively for fair wages, benefits and fair treatment on the job; and 

WHEREAS: 

The coordinated corporate attacks on the freedom to organize have relied upon electoral successes by anti-union candidates who would transform our judiciary. Using the courts to limit or eliminate the freedom to organize is one of the stated goals of these groups, and our union is fighting back to protect our rights in court, with elected officials and at the ballot box; and 

WHEREAS: 

President Biden and other elected officials at the federal, state and local levels have worked collaboratively with our union during our country’s economic recovery from the pandemic to protect public service workers and return public sector staffing to their pre-pandemic levels; and 

WHEREAS: 

Governors and other state and local elected officials who recognize the value added by unions can partner with AFSCME to advance a pro-worker agenda, including robust collective bargaining laws for state and local government workers. Public service workers at all levels of government should not be denied the fundamental freedom to choose whether they want to join together in a union and collectively bargain for fair wages, benefits and a voice in the workplace. 

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED: 

That AFSCME will advocate at the local, state and federal levels to enact laws that expand collective bargaining, strengthen workers’ bargaining power, expand benefits and workplace rights and improve the well-being of workers and working families; and 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED: 

That AFSCME will continue to fight for policies that support working people, including increased minimum wages, robust overtime protections, pay transparency laws and comprehensive paid leave benefits, and we will challenge anti-worker employment policies such as forced arbitration, misuse of non-compete clauses and misclassification of workers as independent contractors; and 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED: 

That AFSCME will continue the fight to expand collective bargaining rights for public service workers by advocating for changes in state and local laws, and will continue the fight to establish a nationwide right to collectively bargain for public sector workers with the Public Service Freedom to Negotiate Act; and 

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED: 

That AFSCME will continue to support the Protecting the Right to Organize, or PRO Act, so that we can put an end to the illegal and unjust anti-union and anti-worker employer conduct that our current laws and courts allow, and give workers everywhere a real choice to form a union. 
 
SUBMITTED BY:
International Executive Board