FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Katie Barrows
Communications Manager
P: 202-549-5991
kbarrows@dpeaflcio.org

WASHINGTON, Jan. 22, 2021- Professional union membership rose in 2020, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ (BLS) annual report on union membership. The number of professionals in unions grew to 6.311 million, an increase of approximately 34,000 from 2019. Union density among professionals was 11.3 percent, up from 11.1 percent in 2019.

“Amidst a global pandemic and economic recession, professionals are continuing to organize and join unions,” said Department for Professional Employees, AFL-CIO (DPE) President Jennifer Dorning. “Joining together with their coworkers is the only way for professionals to win sustained, substantive change at work, and is the best path forward for professionals who want to protect their livelihoods during periods of economic uncertainty.”

Underneath the top-level data, the numbers show how the continued severity of the COVID-19 pandemic has been hurting professionals. The pandemic has had wide-reaching economic impacts, leading to the net loss of at least 662,000 jobs in professional occupations over the last year, including:

• 594,000 fewer teachers and other education, training and library professionals, a six percent decrease from 2019.

• Approximately 240,000 fewer jobs in arts, entertainment and media professions, a 19.8 percent decrease from last year. This includes significant job losses for many kinds of creative and entertainment professionals, including actors, musicians, directors, dancers, singers, reporters, editors, broadcasters and many others.

Many union professionals were able to weather the economic storms of the last year, in part, with protections and processes enshrined in their collective bargaining agreements that provided for salary reductions in lieu of layoffs, work-share arrangements, or severance packages for those who did lose their jobs.

The 2020 employment and union membership numbers also highlight the need for additional legislative action early in 2021 to protect professionals’ workplace rights and prevent further economic damage.

• The Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act must become law to help ensure all professionals can exercise their right to join together in union and negotiate collectively with their employers.

• Congress must pass smart policies that will help America's arts, entertainment, and media industries reopen when it is safe and get creative professionals back to work. 

• Additional federal funding is also necessary to aid state and local governments in order to prevent cuts to essential services such as public health and education and allow state and local leaders to respond quickly to changing economic needs.

“Unions have been pivotal throughout the pandemic, protecting their members’ health, safety, and economic livelihood. Passage of the PRO Act will allow more professionals to exercise their right to form a union and create better workplaces. Additionally, we urge Congress to take action on federal arts funding and state and local aid to prevent further economic devastation due to the pandemic,” said Dorning. 

About DPE

The Department for Professional Employees, AFL-CIO (DPE) is a coalition of 24 unions representing over four million professional and technical union members. DPE affiliate unions represent professionals in over 300 occupations in education and healthcare; science, engineering, and technology; legal, business, and management; media, entertainment, and the arts; and public administration.