RELEASE: California unionization rates held steady despite nationwide decline

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

August 25, 2025 

Contacts:
Willa Needham, 661-916-3673, willaneedham@ucla.edu
Julie Light, 415-215-5737, julie.light@berkeley.edu

California unionization rates held steady despite nationwide decline

New report from the University of California provides a snapshot of labor’s gains and challenges

LOS ANGELES, CA– As Labor Day approaches, a new report from researchers at the UCLA Institute for Research on Labor and Employment (IRLE) and the UC Berkeley Labor Center provides a snapshot of the California labor movement. The report, “State of the Unions: California Labor in 2024,”  analyzes the most recent publicly available data on union density, member demographics and labor organizing activity in California and the nation. 

In addition, it features case studies highlighting victories for workers in the fast-food, warehousing and agriculture industries. The report reveals a strong and active labor movement in the Golden State, bolstered by state policies and targeted, industry-specific campaigns. 

Key findings: 

• Union representation is holding steady in California, despite a nationwide decline.
• Union membership varies across the state. Some areas, like greater Oxnard, Stockton and Riverside, enjoy a higher concentration of union membership than the rest of the state. 
• The labor movement is active in California. Unions and worker centers held more than 200 strikes or protests in 2024–on average, one every other day. 
• California union members reflect the state’s diverse population, with Black, Latino and white workers well represented. However, some groups, like young workers and AAPI workers, have yet to catch up. 
• California policies were key to workers’ victories in fast-food, warehousing and agriculture industries.

“We are just beginning to feel the effects of recent political shifts across the nation on working Californians and the labor movement,” said Justin McBride, project director of the UCLA IRLE’s Strategic Research Lab and a co-author of the report. “Our report provides baseline data as we continue to assess how dramatic changes in national policies around immigration, international trade and labor law will affect California’s unions and workers.”

“Unions are proving resilient and determined, organizing workers across California despite steep challenges like housing costs, health care and new technologies,” said Enrique Lopezlira, director of the UC Berkeley Labor Center’s Low-Wage Work Program and a co-author of the report. “We’re also seeing real momentum and new opportunities to grow union power.” 

The “State of the Unions: California Labor in 2024” report provides a portrait of the California labor movement as unions and workers confront new challenges. It was prepared by researchers from UCLA Institute for Research on Labor and Employment (IRLE) and the UC Berkeley Labor Center with contributions from The Inland Empire Labor and Community Center at UC Riverside (IELCC).