30 Most Powerful Unions in America

Few things have been as important to the development of a strong middle class in America as the labor union. In their heyday, labor unions were an essential piece of the social fabric that helped ensure that workers could have a strong voice in getting paid fair wages, securing important benefits and ensuring safe working conditions. However, the days of organized labor wielding enormous influence are largely gone as union memberships continue to shrink in the face of an ever-shifting economy. From 1983 to 2015, union rolls shrank by nearly 3 million workers even as over 45 million more people joined the workforce, and the proportion of workers in a union was cut in half over that same period.

So, what does the face of American organized labor look like today? What unions still command the largest membership base, allowing them to influence public policy and pressure companies into making concessions?

GOBankingRates looked at the membership numbers from some 78 different unions as available through the Department of Labor and identified 30 that still have at least 100,000 members. Some of them are among the most powerful unions in the nation and have led strikes that changed America.

Last updated: April 23, 2021

• Total membership: 111,138
• Description: Construction-industry painters
• Member of the AFL-CIO? Yes

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• Total membership: 114,598
• Description: United States Postal Service (USPS) mail delivery workers in rural areas
• Member of the AFL-CIO? No

• Total membership: 128,511
• Description: Ironworkers
• Member of the AFL-CIO? Yes

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• Total membership: 130,515
• Description: Nurses
• Member of the AFL-CIO? Yes

• Total membership: 134,022
• Description: Mass transit, railroad and airline workers
• Member of the AFL-CIO? Yes

• Total membership: 145,525
• Description: Entertainment (theater, motion picture and television production, trade shows, television broadcasting and concerts)
• Member of the AFL-CIO? Yes

• Total membership: 195,884
• Description: Professional association for registered nurses
• Member of the AFL-CIO? No

• Total membership: 199,986
• Description: Mass transit service workers
• Member of the AFL-CIO? Yes

• Total membership: 203,280
• Description: Construction-industry sheet metal workers; also shipbuilders, engineers, conductors, welders and more
• Member of the AFL-CIO? Yes

• Total membership: 235,253
• Description: USPS workers other than letter carriers
• Member of the AFL-CIO? Yes

• Total membership: 243,853
• Description: Actors, recording artists and broadcasters
• Member of the AFL-CIO? Yes

• Total membership: 290,315
• Description: USPS mail delivery workers in urban areas
• Member of the AFL-CIO? Yes

• Total membership: 301,886
• Description: Textile and garment manufacturing workers; hotel, restaurant and gaming workers; transportation workers
• Member of the AFL-CIO? Yes

• Total membership: 314,990
• Description: Municipal firefighters and paramedics
• Member of the AFL-CIO? Yes

• Total membership: 332,977
• Description: Miscellaneous U.S. federal government workers
• Member of the AFL-CIO? Yes

• Total membership: 339,746
• Description: Police officers
• Member of the AFL-CIO? No

• Total membership: 355,000
• Description: Journeymen and apprentices of the plumbing, pipe fitting and sprinkler fitting industry
• Member of the AFL-CIO? Yes

• Total membership: 394,493
• Description: Operators of construction equipment; stationary engineers
• Member of the AFL-CIO? Yes

• Total membership: 395,703
• Description: Automobile, truck, aerospace, farm equipment and construction equipment manufacturing workers and more
• Member of the AFL-CIO? Yes

• Total membership: 500,000
• Description: Building industry carpenters
• Member of the AFL-CIO? No

• Total membership: 573,365
• Description: Miscellaneous construction workers; aircraft workers and more
• Member of the AFL-CIO? Yes

• Total membership: 581,810
• Description: Steel mill workers; related trades
• Member of the AFL-CIO? Yes

• Total membership: 661,604
• Description: Telecommunication, customer service, broadcasting, public sector, healthcare and other workers
• Member of the AFL-CIO? Yes

• Total membership: 672,551
• Description: Electrical manufacturing workers; electric utility workers
• Member of the AFL-CIO? Yes

• Total membership: 1,248,117
• Description: Retail store and distribution employees
• Member of the AFL-CIO? Yes

• Total membership: 1,327,379
• Description: Employees of state, county and municipal governments
• Member of the AFL-CIO? Yes

• Total membership: 1,389,454
• Description: Truck drivers, warehouse workers and other trades
• Member of the AFL-CIO? No

• Total membership: 1,677,775
• Description: Public school teachers, registered nurses (RNs), professional, technical and nonprofessional healthcare workers
• Member of the AFL-CIO? Yes

• Total membership: 1,918,192
• Description: Hotel, restaurant and hospitality workers; RNs, professional, technical and nonprofessional healthcare workers; public employees
• Member of the AFL-CIO? No

• Total membership: 3,002,516
• Description: Public school employees including but not limited to teachers, education support professionals, cafeteria workers, bus drivers, guidance counselors, nurses, administrative assistants, secretaries, psychologists and librarians
• Member of the AFL-CIO? No

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Methodology: GOBankingRates looked at 73 labor unions within the United States in order to determine the 30 most powerful unions in America. GOBankingRates ranked the unions in terms of total members which was found using the Office of Labor-Management Standards’ (OLMS) union reports under Schedule 13 which tallies total union members. The union had to report the data to the OLMS in order to be considered for this list, thus some unions are not listed. Whether or not the union is affiliated with the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) was also provided as supplemental data. All data was collected and up to date as of Sept. 11, 2019.