If unions are to survive, what must they do to attract and retain members?

Unions have been on the decline for many years. One reason is that unions began taking their status for granted and did not pivot when working conditions, industry, and the workforce rapidly changed in the 1980s (Valentine et al., 2020). The first thing unions should do if they want to survive is to thoughtfully define why the union should exist and what its goals are. Many of the catalysts which led to the original development of unions, such as dangerous working conditions, are no longer as much of an issue, thanks to OSHA and other labor laws. Unions should study various industries and survey employees to determine what issues are of most concern to todays workers and develop ideas for how the union can help to address those issues.

Next, they must seek to understand who their target members are and determine how they will serve those members. According to a recent study, Gen Z workers support unions to a much greater degree than Baby Boomers, Gen X, and Millenials (Glass, 2022). To attract more members, unions should tap into the dissatisfaction and unrest that many Gen Z employees feel and share how the union can help empower and support them as workers. In addition, many new employees do not understand complex union rules or exactly what the union is for, which makes it critical for union leaders and mentors to educate new hires on how the union benefits them (Green, 2018).

Finally, to retain the members they do have, unions must transparently show their members what they are doing behind the scenes to work for them. They must show that the union members dues are stewarded with care and are well spent on activities that benefit the membership. Failure to do so will result in members who feel that their hard-earned money is being wasted, and they will quickly leave the union and cease paying dues.

As a manager, I have mixed feelings about the idea of unions, as I feel that my team and I can create the best work environment by working together toward a common goal without any union middlemen. However, my husband works in the airline industry and is a member of Transport Workers Union, so I have also experienced many of the benefits of union membership first-hand, such as health insurance that is very low cost, yet high quality. Although they are not necessarily the best fit for every job in every industry, unions do still have a place in our society, as long as they can evolve with the times.

what are your thoughts on this?