US union elections declined in 2025 after Trump hobbled labor board [View all]

Source: The Guardian

Wed 11 Feb 2026 08.00 EST
Last modified on Wed 11 Feb 2026 08.01 EST


The number of union elections overseen by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) dropped 30% in 2025 after the Trump administration left the federal labor watchdog powerless, according to an analysis released on Wednesday.

The number of workers participating in union elections dropped by 59,000, a 42% decline compared with the year prior, according to the report from the Center for American Progress. The total number of union elections fell from a 10-year high of 2,124 in 2024 to 1,498 in 2025. The success rate in union elections also dropped to 69.8% in 2025, after rising to 72% in 2023.

The NLRB presides over enforcing labor law in the private sector, including conducting union elections and enforcing the National Labor Relations Act. Workers file to hold an election with the NLRB once they have agreed to form a union but their employer doesn’t voluntarily recognize it.

Since the start of his second term, Trump has made unprecedented moves to freeze the board. Days after taking office, Trump fired NLRB board member Gwynne Wilcox, leaving the board without a quorum needed to make decisions. When Trump eventually restored a quorum, he appointed two Republicans to fill the vacant seats, creating a conservative majority.

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/feb/11/labor-relations-board-nlrb-unions-trump