Something big is happening in American workplaces—and it's not another productivity app.
From Starbucks baristas to Amazon warehouse workers, from Apple retail employees to graduate students at elite universities, workers across industries are raising their hands and asking a question that hasn't been this loud in decades: What if we organized?
The numbers tell a compelling story. According to the National Labor Relations Board, union election petitions increased by 53% in fiscal year 2022 compared to the previous year. And while union membership as a percentage of the workforce remains near historic lows, public approval of labor unions hit 71% in 2022—the highest it's been since 1965, according to Gallup polling.
This isn't your grandfather's union movement. It's younger, more diverse, and powered by social media. And whether you're in human resources, management, or simply curious about the future of work, understanding this shift isn't optional anymore—it's essential.
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Let's start with the why behind this resurgence, because understanding the root causes is the first step toward meaningful response.
COVID-19 didn't just disrupt supply chains and office layouts. It fundamentally rewired how people think about work, safety, and their relationship with employers.
"Essential workers" became a household term, but many of those same workers felt anything but valued when it came to wages, benefits, and working conditions. The disconnect between being called "heroes" and being treated as expendable created what organizational psychologists call a psychological contract breach—the feeling that an unspoken agreement between worker and employer had been violated.
This breach doesn't heal quickly. And for many workers, collective action became the most logical path toward repair.
While millions of Americans quit their jobs during the Great Resignation, others chose a different path. Instead of leaving, they stayed—and organized.
Think of it as the "fight or flight" response applied to careers. Some workers fled to new opportunities. Others decided to fight for better conditions where they were. Both responses stem from the same underlying reality: workers gained leverage, and they started using it.
Gen Z and younger Millennials view unions differently than previous generations. Growing up during the Great Recession, witnessing skyrocketing student debt, and entering a workforce marked by gig economy uncertainty shaped their expectations.
For these workers, collective action isn't a relic of the industrial age—it's a modern tool for addressing modern problems like work-life balance, mental health support, and equitable pay practices.
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If you're imagining picket lines and smoke-filled rooms, it's time to update your mental model.
Today's organizing campaigns often begin not with pamphlets but with TikTok videos, Discord servers, and Reddit threads. Workers share experiences, compare notes, and build solidarity across geographic boundaries in ways that were impossible even a decade ago.
This creates what communication experts call networked collective action—organizing that's decentralized, rapid, and remarkably difficult to predict or contain.
When Starbucks workers began organizing, their campaign spread to hundreds of stores in months rather than years. The playbook was shared openly online, creating a template others could follow.
Modern union campaigns often center on issues that go beyond traditional bread-and-butter concerns like wages and hours. Workers are organizing around:
This expansion of what "workplace issues" means reflects a generation that doesn't separate their values from their employment. They want to work for organizations that align with who they are—and they're willing to organize to make that happen.
Perhaps most notably, organizing is surging in industries that historically had little union presence: tech companies, digital media outlets, museums, nonprofits, and cannabis dispensaries.
These aren't the manufacturing plants or construction sites of union lore. They're creative workplaces, knowledge economy jobs, and service sector positions that many assumed would never see significant organizing activity.
The lesson? No industry is immune, and assumptions about "who unionizes" deserve serious reconsideration.
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So how should human resources professionals and organizational leaders respond? Not with panic, and not with aggressive counter-campaigns that often backfire. Instead, consider adopting what we might call the LISTEN Framework:
Before anything else, HR professionals need solid grounding in labor law. The National Labor Relations Act protects workers' rights to organize, and violations can result in serious consequences.
Key protections workers have:
What employers cannot do:
The acronym TIPS (Threats, Interrogation, Promises, Surveillance) helps remember what's off-limits. When in doubt, consult with qualified labor counsel before taking any action.
When organizing activity surfaces, the instinctive response is often defensive. How do we stop this? But a more productive question is: What's driving this?
Conducting honest assessments—through anonymous surveys, focus groups, or third-party audits—can reveal whether organizing stems from:
Understanding root causes doesn't mean manipulating workers away from organizing. It means addressing legitimate concerns because they're legitimate, regardless of union activity.
Organizations where workers feel genuinely heard tend to have less organizing activity. This isn't about creating the appearance of listening—it's about building authentic feedback mechanisms that result in visible action.
Consider implementing:
The key word is authentic. Workers can detect performative listening instantly, and it often accelerates rather than prevents organizing.
Here's an uncomfortable truth: poor management is often the single biggest driver of union organizing.
Supervisors who are dismissive, inconsistent, or disrespectful create the conditions where collective action becomes appealing. Yet many organizations promote people into management based on technical skills without providing meaningful leadership development.
Training should cover:
When workers feel respected by their immediate supervisor, many workplace concerns get resolved before they become organizing catalysts.
Take an honest inventory of what you offer employees—and how it compares to both market standards and worker expectations.
This goes beyond salary benchmarking to include:
If your honest evaluation reveals gaps, closing them proactively demonstrates good faith far more effectively than any anti-union campaign ever could.
This might be the most counterintuitive element: stop treating unions as unspeakable.
When organizations respond to any mention of organizing with alarm, secrecy, or heavy-handed campaigns, it often validates workers' sense that they need external representation. It signals that management views workers as adversaries rather than partners.
A more mature approach acknowledges that workers have legally protected rights to organize, respects those rights, and focuses energy on being the kind of workplace where workers choose not to exercise them—not because they're intimidated, but because their needs are genuinely met.
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Traditional thinking frames employer-employee relations as zero-sum: what's good for workers is bad for the organization, and vice versa.
But the most effective HR leaders are adopting a both/and mindset that recognizes:
When workers see leadership genuinely pursuing mutual benefit rather than extracting maximum value at minimum cost, the appeal of outside representation diminishes naturally.
This isn't naive idealism—it's recognizing that sustainable organizational success requires engaged, committed workers. And increasingly, that engagement can't be manufactured through pizza parties and motivational posters.
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Recent years have provided clear examples of what doesn't work when responding to organizing campaigns.
When organizations respond to organizing with mandatory anti-union meetings, consultant-led campaigns, and implied threats, the message workers often receive is: They're scared of us having power.
This can strengthen rather than weaken organizing momentum. Workers who might have been on the fence become convinced that management's strong reaction proves collective action is necessary.
If an organization suddenly starts addressing concerns only when organizing activity surfaces, workers notice. The message becomes: They only care when they're threatened.
Long-term investment in worker wellbeing can't be faked during a campaign period.
Retaliating against organizing leaders—through scheduling changes, discipline, or termination—is both illegal and strategically counterproductive. It creates martyrs, generates media attention, and often accelerates the very organizing it aims to prevent.
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Here's a reframe that might surprise you: the unionization resurgence can be an opportunity for organizational improvement.
Think of organizing activity as a diagnostic signal. It tells you something about worker experience that you might not otherwise hear through official channels. Workers who feel unheard through normal means are seeking alternative amplification.
Organizations that respond by genuinely improving conditions—not as a union-avoidance tactic, but as authentic commitment to worker wellbeing—often emerge stronger. They become more attractive to talent, experience lower turnover, and build cultures of mutual trust.
The organizations that struggle are those that view the current moment as a threat to be neutralized rather than feedback to be integrated.
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If you're an HR professional or organizational leader wondering where to begin, here are concrete actions:
This week:
This month:
This quarter:
Ongoing:
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The unionization resurgence isn't a temporary blip—it reflects fundamental shifts in worker expectations, generational values, and the employment landscape. Organizations that respond with understanding, authenticity, and genuine improvement will navigate this moment successfully.
Those that respond with resistance, manipulation, or denial will likely find that their approach backfires, both in terms of organizing outcomes and broader organizational culture.
The best response to workers wanting a voice is to give them one—authentically, proactively, and as a matter of organizational values rather than union-avoidance tactics.
Because ultimately, the question isn't "How do we prevent unions?" The better question is: "How do we build workplaces where workers genuinely thrive?"
Answer that question honestly, and the rest tends to follow.
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The information in this article is for educational purposes and does not constitute legal advice. Organizations facing specific labor relations situations should consult with qualified labor counsel.
