Alabama union membership is declining, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) - Union membership in Alabama is declining, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

From 2024 to 2025, Alabama union membership declined by about nine thousand people, with membership making up about six percent of the workforce.

The decline in membership could be in part due to an aging state population. In the 2020 U.S. Census, around 17 percent of Alabamians were over the retirement age of 65.

“That’s what’s going to keep us going in the future, getting young folks involved and hey, we’re not the enemy,” said Bren Riley, president of Alabama AFL-CIO. “We want our employers to make a bunch of money. We want to help them make a bunch of money and you know what, we want our piece of the pay once our contract expires.”

Riley also said unions will be working to navigate a workforce that is relying more on technology as artificial intelligence and data centers continue to become more prevalent across the state and the country.

Alabama’s overall employment dropped according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, losing roughly 20 thousand workers from 2024 to 2025.

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