AUSTIN (KXAN) — More people are joining unions in Texas, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The state labor federation, Texas AFL-CIO , said Austin employees are unionizing in industries where they’ve never done that before.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 4.5% of working Texans were union members last year. That’s up from 3.8% in 2021.
Texas AFL-CIO said specifically in Austin there’s growth in the tech industry.
“The folks at Google and YouTube in Austin just went on strike, and they’re still fighting for their contract,” said Texas AFL-CIO President Rick Levy.
Levy said one of the fastest-growing sectors for unions is journalism. Just a few weeks ago, employees at the Texas Tribune announced plans to unionize. This follows layoffs several months earlier.
Why are we seeing this increase?
Michael Green, a law professor at Texas A&M University, said there are several different reasons we’re seeing this increase.
He believes this growth started with the COVID-19 pandemic and employees realizing they wanted a collective voice to represent workers.