Union activity cooled in Q3 2025 — and that’s not necessarily bad news for employers.
The new LRI RightNow Petitions and Elections Review shows petition and election volume declined year-over-year, marking a slowdown from 2024’s peak levels. Unions may be winning a higher percentage of elections, but the total number of new members they’re adding has fallen sharply. The data paints a clear picture: organizing in 2025 isn’t accelerating — it’s tightening. Unions are filing fewer cases, targeting smaller workplaces, and prioritizing campaigns they’re confident they can win.
Election Activity Down, Win Rates Up — But Fewer Members Gained
Union organizing slowed across all categories, even as win rates climbed.
- Representation (RC) elections: 1,162 held (-15 % from 2024)
- Unions won 79.3 %, organizing 55,916 workers.
- Decertification (RD) elections: 99 held (-21 %)
- Unions lost 58.6 %, cutting roughly 2,000 members.
- Employer-filed (RM) elections: 69 held (-50 %)
- Unions won 78.3 %, up from 68.8 % in 2024.
Despite maintaining a near-record 79 % win rate, unions organized roughly 55,900 workers through Q3 2025 — down from more than 81,000 over the same period in 2024.
That’s not expansion; it’s efficiency. Higher win rates paired with fewer campaigns signal tighter targeting and smaller-scale victories, not broad momentum.
Petitions Decline Across the Board
- Representation (RC) petitions: 1,588 filed (-14 %), 73 % converted to elections.
- Decertification (RD) petitions: 226 filed (-8 %), 44 % conversion.
- Employer-filed (RM) petitions: 150 filed (-55 %), 46 % conversion (up from 41 % in 2024).
Steady conversion rates show unions executing more efficiently — but on a smaller playing field. For employers, that means campaign risk may becoming more concentrated, not more widespread.
Union Activity Concentrates in Familiar Territory
The Teamsters remained the most active, appearing in 195 RC elections and winning 71 %.
Next came:
- Workers United (SEIU): 152 elections, 83 % win rate
- Service Employees (SEIU): 122 elections, 89 % win rate
- IBEW (Electrical Workers): 75 elections, 89 % win rate
- Operating Engineers: 68 elections, 79 % win rate
The 25 most active unions accounted for 85 % of all RC elections — reinforcing that organizing strength remains highly concentrated within a few large, well-resourced organizations rather than broad-based growth.
Regional & Industry Highlights
- Region 19 (Seattle) led all regions with 174 RC petitions filed, continuing its long-running lead in union activity.
- California topped all states with 220 RC petitions and 165 elections held, while New Jersey recorded the lowest success rate among high-volume states.
- Healthcare and Social Assistance remained the top sector for organizing, driving 265 RC elections, while Manufacturing again proved most resistant with a 60 % union win rate.
The takeaway: organizing activity remains concentrated in the same industries and geographies that have led the movement for the past several years.
Unit Size: Small Wins, Smaller Impact
- 11–25 employee units: 86 % win rate — highest of any group
- 1–10 employee units: 72 % win rate — lowest
Unions continue to find success in smaller units, but the trade-off is clear: higher win rates paired with smaller headcounts yield limited long-term growth.
The Bottom Line
Union activity in 2025 looks less like a wave and more like a realignment.
It appears organizers choosing smaller, safer targets and celebrating percentage wins that mask declining overall reach. For employers, this environment rewards those who track the data, identify emerging hotspots early, and strengthen culture before small groups turn into organized units.
Access the Full Report
The complete LRI RightNow 2025 Q3 Petitions and Elections Review — with charts, maps, and regional breakdowns — is available now at:
👉 LRI RightNow Store ($150)
💡 Did You Know?
When the NLRB website went down, LRI RightNow was still able to deliver historical petition and election updates without interruption. That’s why practitioners rely on LRI RightNow for the most current, verified labor data in the country, even when the Board goes dark.
