Unions Lose Again
23rd September 2026
Union membership in the U.S. private sector has fallen to record lows, with 2024 data showing that only 5.9% of the U.S. private sector workforce is unionized, according to research by the Pew Research Center. It points out that this is down sharply from 20.1% in 1983 and 37% in 1957.
That number is about to get lower as employees at Penske Truck Leasing in Richmond are officially free from the unwanted “representation” of Teamsters Local 592 union officials, after the National Labor Relations Board certified a vote of Penske workers to “decertify” Teamsters union bosses.
The decertification effort was spearheaded by Penske employee Jordan Cutrell, who received free legal aid from National Right to Work Foundation staff attorneys during the decertification process.
Virginia is one of 26 states that still have “right to work” laws on their books. These safeguard workers by making union membership and dues payment strictly voluntary. But that position has fallen under attack as recently as the last General Assembly session.
While passing minimum wage hikes, compensation reforms, paid family leave, and employment regulations on hiring, state Sen. Jennifer Carroll Foy, D-Prince William, tried but failed to repeal the right-to-work law. The Senate did not take it up before the session’s deadline, effectively killing it for now.