It's Time for America’s Workers To Take Their Power Back | Opinion
Summary
The article explains that many American workers struggle to afford basic needs and face job insecurity, especially Black workers who have higher unemployment rates. It says unions help improve workers’ pay, benefits, and job conditions, and that more workers, including people of color and women, are joining unions today.Key Facts
- Nearly 40% of adults in the U.S. cannot cover a $400 emergency expense with their own money.
- Black unemployment rose to 7% in early 2025 and is about twice as high as white unemployment.
- Only 60% of Black adults say they are doing okay financially or living comfortably in 2025, a decline from the previous year.
- In 2025, the average CEO of a top 500 company earned $22.8 million, a 21% increase from the previous year.
- Labor laws have been weakened, making it harder to form unions and easier to break them up.
- Union members earn more on average: Black union workers make 12.6% more, and Latino union workers make 16.4% more than their non-union peers.
- Two-thirds of union members are women or people of color, with Black workers having the highest union membership rates among racial groups.
- Union membership grew by 463,000 to 16.5 million workers in 2025, the largest number in 16 years.
This is a fact-based summary from The Actual News. Click below to read the complete story directly from the original source.