TAMPA, Fla. — Labor Day has become known as a day off to heat up the grill and go shopping. But it means a lot more than that to Florida AFL-CIO Director of Politics and Public Policy Dr. Rich Templin.
"It's actually a holiday enshrined in law to celebrate the gains and the benefits of organized labor, meaning unions," he said.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, nationwide, 10.3% of workers belonged to a union in 2021. Just one year prior, that number was 10.8%.
In 2020, Florida had 524,000 union members, 6.4% of the working population. By 2022, that dropped to 448,000 — 5.2%.
But Templin said that's not the whole picture.
"Union membership declined during the pandemic because if you're not working, you know, you're not paying dues. That's certainly nothing that we would ever ask for," he explained.
Despite the decline, people are still seeking help from unions.
"What we've seen in those numbers between 2021 and 2022 is an increase of almost 200,000."
A recent Gallup poll shows that 71% of Americans said they would join a union if possible. That's the highest approval rating since 1965.
Meanwhile, petitions to launch a union have gone up 57%, according to the Department of Labor.
"We feel like we're growing. We feel like our advocacy is increasing in strength. We're pretty happy with this Labor Day," Templin said.
