Minnesota AFL-CIO President Bill McCarthy issued the following statement on today’s US Bureau of Labor Statistics Report showing Minnesota’s union membership rate increased from 13.7% (364,000) of the workforce in 2019 to 15.8% (398,000) in 2020, jumping from having the 12th to the 10th highest union density in the nation:
“Despite a raging pandemic for most of the year that put thousands of Minnesotans out of work, working Minnesotans stood up in record numbers to assert their rights to join together and negotiate for a fair return on their work, safer jobsites, dignity, and respect.
“Union membership is more popular than ever and it’s time to update our country’s labor laws to remove the roadblocks workers face in forming unions so we can rebuild our economy with family sustaining union jobs that guarantee a voice at work.
“We call on Minnesota’s Congressional delegation to support the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act to secure Americans’ freedom to join together.”