Deunionization in Wisconsin and Metro Milwaukee: A Statistical Overview

The past four years have been tumultuous ones for organized labor in Wisconsin. In 2011, the passage of Act 10 all but eliminated collective bargaining rights for public workers in the state. In 2015, Wisconsin became the nation’s 25th “right to work” (RTW) state. It was widely expected that these anti-union laws would deal crippling blows to organized labor in Wisconsin, and a recently released report by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics revealed that union membership in the state has, indeed, fallen precipitously.