AFSCME welcomed tens of thousands of new members in 2024

[Omaha Steve]

Photo Credit: Brenda Bravo

https://www.afscme.org/blog/afscme-welcomed-tens-of-thousands-of-new-members-in-2024

(I'm retired AFSCME btw)

By AFSCME Staff · Tuesday, January 28, 2025

AFSCME welcomed tens of thousands of new members in 2024, an announcement made by AFSCME President Lee Saunders today in response to the annual report by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) on union membership and earnings.

“This growth comes after a year of relentless organizing, with new AFSCME locals forming in health care, emergency response, public safety, the cultural sector and more,” Saunders said in a press release. “The message we are hearing across all workplaces is clear and consistent: Organizing in a union is the best way to ensure workers have the freedom to secure a better future, especially in the face of rising attacks by billionaires and anti-union extremists who see our growth and seek to stop it.”

The BLS report shows what AFSCME members know firsthand: life is better in a union. Not only do union members earn more than their nonunion counterparts, but they have a voice on the job to improve safety and workplace conditions. Moreover, they and their families have access to better benefits including health care and a more secure retirement.

According to the report, among full-time wage and salary workers in 2024, union members had median usual weekly earnings of $1,337 compared to $1,138 for their nonunion counterparts. That’s a union difference of 17.5% or $199 per week, which works out to about $800 a month and more than $10,000 annually.

FULL story at link above.

[patphil]

1. For those of us who don't know, it's American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees.

https://www.afscme.org/