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Skip Mark, Assistant professor of political science, University of Rhode Island

Strengthening collective labor rights can help reduce economic inequality

Only about 1 in 10 U.S. workers belong to unions today. champc/iStock via Getty Images Plus

Despite the strength of the U.S. economy, the gap between rich and poor Americans is increasing.

The wealthiest 1% of Americans have more than five times as much wealth as the bottom 50%, according to the U.S. Federal Reserve. That’s up from four times as much in the year 2000. In 2024 alone, the wealthiest 19 families got a total of US$1 trillion richer – the largest one-year increase on record.

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