Union rates tick up among young workers

More young workers are joining unions, and some are spearheading union mobilization campaigns at companies around the country, according to The Associated Press.

According to the news agency, union membership among employees ages 24-34 rose from 8.8 percent in 2019 to 9.4 percent in 2021.

The news comes as younger workers have been seen at the helm of unionization campaigns at companies including Starbucks and Alphabet, and despite falling union membership rates among other age groups, according to the AP.

The AP reports the total number of union workers has remained relatively stable between 2019 and 2021.

But Hayley Brown, a research associate at the Center for Economic and Policy Research, told the AP those rates could grow in the years ahead, particularly as President Biden has pushed to strengthen union jobs in areas like construction.

The president, who previously promised to be the most pro-union president in history, also recently endorsed an effort by congressional staffers to unionize.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Biden backed the effort during a press briefing earlier this month.

“He supports the right of any individual to seek to join a union, to collective bargain, and of course Capitol Hill staffers are certainly individuals who are pursuing that,” she said.