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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
World
Michael Sainato

US union elections declined in 2025 after Trump hobbled labor board

A table with two rows of closed accordion folders.
Ballots for a SEIU union election in Detroit, Michigan, on 9 October 2025. Photograph: Emily Elconin/Getty Images

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.

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