Staff Reports
President Joe Biden’s term was heralded with lofty proclamations of being an unprecedented champion for union rights. But as the dust settles on his efforts, the reality suggests that he might be better suited to handing out participation trophies than actually boosting union membership. Despite his headline-grabbing policies and restructuring of the National Labor Relations Board, union membership continues to plummet, and surprising numbers of union voters are spurning the Democrats for the populist charms of Donald Trump.
Despite Biden’s self-proclaimed title as the most pro-union president ever, the numbers tell a different tale. As of 2023, union membership is stuck at around 10% — a drop of 11% since 2020 when Biden took the reins. This decline, largely driven by the private sector, signifies that the so-called labor renaissance Biden promised is more of a mirage. The reality is that more workers are employed in gig economy jobs that don’t exactly fit into union molds, like your friendly neighborhood rideshare driver. The Great American Shift to service jobs has marginalized traditional union roles, leaving a fading echo of what once was.
Critics in the Republican camp, including Rep. Virginia Foxx, see it clearly: Biden has coddled union bosses while leaving the rank-and-file workers high and dry. Rather than serving the workers who put on the hard hats and grease the wheels of American industry, he has empowered those at the top of the union hierarchy, thereby alienating many who actually pay the dues. For these workers, the disconnect between what union leadership advocates and the day-to-day realities they face has led to straying loyalties, especially as Trump positions himself as the blue-collar knight in shining armor.
Biden’s best efforts could not keep unions from declining or defecting to GOP https://t.co/jj1qHP2Mhc
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) November 4, 2024
Polling data among union workers reveals a shocking trend: support for Trump is surging, with 58% of Teamsters reportedly backing the former president over Vice President Harris, who can hardly rally a quarter of their loyalty. This is reflective of a broader cultural shift where manual laborers, particularly those without college degrees, have found common ground with Trump’s populist messaging. They see a leader willing to advocate for their interests in a way the Democrats simply can’t—or won’t—do. Trump’s nostalgia-laden promises and calls for protectionist trade policies resonate among working-class voters increasingly displeased with soaring inflation and rising costs of living.
While Biden touts the flurry of pro-union appointments and a more favorable National Labor Relations Board, his administration’s efforts appear to cater more to the union leaders than to the actual workers. The so-called structural changes, such as a significant investment in union pension funds, come wrapped in bureaucratic red tape and require patience for benefits that seem further away in a rapidly evolving economy. Meanwhile, reality strikes as union membership continues to decline in what some experts are calling a cultural problem rather than a political one.
To cap it all off, Biden set out to pass the Protecting the Right to Organize Act, a piece of legislation that may have breathed new life into union membership but ultimately floundered in Congress. GOP resistance combined with a divided Senate proved too formidable, leaving Biden and his union allies in a perpetual state of disappointment. While his administration may have created more headlines than real change, workers remain caught in the struggle between outdated union structures and a rapidly evolving job market that favors flexibility over traditional labor roles. In short, it seems Biden’s legacy may be defined more by missed opportunities than seismic shifts in labor rights—leaving American workers in search of a new champion.
