Worker-Led Organizing Efforts: Independent Unions Explained (1)

Labor organizing was on the rise in 2022—with union election wins reaching a 17-year high—marking a celebratory moment for larger unions battling a decades-long decline in the US workforce.

But a deeper look at the data tells a different story of an undercurrent of activity: More than 24,000 workers joined unions outside the direct reach of the AFL-CIO, the largest labor federation, which includes 60 unions representing more than 12 million workers. This organizing was also separate from wins notched by major non-AFL-CIO unions, including the International Brotherhood of Teamsters and the Service Employees International Union.

Many workers opted to ...