Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 22 hours ago
What would happen if union membership tripled in the United States? The IAM Union asked an economist and our members that question, and the answer is remarkably similar: higher wages, stronger communities and a more secure future for working families. A new report from the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) concludes that restoring union membership to roughly 30% of the workforce—levels not seen since the 1950s—would dramatically strengthen the American economy. Researchers estimate it would raise the median worker's pay by 14.5%, or more than $7,700 a year, shift $1.2 trillion annually back to working people, expand access to health care, reduce racial wage gaps, and strengthen democracy through greater civic participation. The report also found that more than 56 million non-union workers say they would vote to join a union if they had the opportunity, showing a growing demand for collective bargaining across the country. For IAM Union members, those findings simply confirm what they've experienced firsthand for generations. Union contracts mean better pay, quality health care, retirement security, safer workplaces, job protections and a real voice on the job. As more Americans search for economic security and a fair shot at the middle class, the message from economists and working people is clear: when workers have the freedom to organize and bargain collectively, everyone benefits.
What would happen if union membership tripled in the United States? The IAM Union asked an economist and our members that question, and the answer is remarkably similar: higher wages, stronger communities and a more secure future for working families. A new report from the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) concludes that restoring union membership to roughly 30% of the workforce—levels not seen since the 1950s—would dramatically strengthen the American economy. Researchers estimate it would raise the median worker's pay by 14.5%, or more than $7,700 a year, shift $1.2 trillion annually back to working people, expand access to health care, reduce racial wage gaps, and strengthen democracy through greater civic participation. The report also found that more than 56 million non-union workers say they would vote to join a union if they had the opportunity, showing a growing demand for collective bargaining across the country. For IAM Union members, those findings simply confirm what they've experienced firsthand for generations. Union contracts mean better pay, quality health care, retirement security, safer workplaces, job protections and a real voice on the job. As more Americans search for economic security and a fair shot at the middle class, the message from economists and working people is clear: when workers have the freedom to organize and bargain collectively, everyone benefits.
