Union membership in the United States has declined significantly in recent decades. After peaking at 28.3 percent of all employed workers in 1954, the union membership rate has steadily dropped to 11.3 percent in 2013. Even more representative of the state of unionization, current private-sector union membership is only 6.7 percent, less than 20 percent the rate of public-sector workers (35.3 percent).
In a move anticipated to help reverse that declining trend in union membership, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) recently re-proposed a rule that would make it significantly easier for a union to organize a workplace. This rule revising the election procedures was originally proposed in 2011 but was overturned by the courts because of procedural flaws. The current version, essentially the same as that proposed in 2011, significantly shortens the time period for union certification elections. Should this rule be implemented, it would likely limit employers’ free speech rights and prevent workers from getting full and complete information about the advantages and disadvantages of joining a union.