U.S. union membership levels declined slightly to record lows last year, a government report said on Tuesday, and now organized labor faces fresh challenges from President Donald Trump's return to the White House.

That the continuing significant upturn in strike activity has led to zero growth in union membership is an indictment of the right wing character of the corporatist US trade unions.

The share of American workers in unions edged down in 2024, reaching its lowest level on record, even as the year was marked by a surge in union election filings and several high-profile strikes. The union membership rate dropped by one-tenth of a percentage point to a new low of 9.

Michigan bucking the national trend, one expert said, is likely due to recent successes of the United Auto Workers and the repeal of right-to-work.