California unions added more than 100,000 workers to their ranks in 2025, even as federal labor regulation slowed, union elections declined and many newly organized workers struggled to secure their first contracts.
Workers across the state also continued to take collective action. Although they launched fewer strikes than in previous years, California remained a national center of labor activism, with workers turning to other forms of protest in response to issues at work and in their communities.
These are among the key findings from "State of the Unions: California Labor in 2025," a new report released ahead of Labor Day by the UCLA Institute for Research on Labor and Employment. The report provides the latest data on union membership, organizing activity and workers' direct action in California and highlights workers' persistent and creative strategies to build power under challenging circumstances last year.
"2025 marked a major inflection point for the labor movement, as the Trump administration unleashed a series of anti-worker policies and made significant cuts to federal labor regulatory agencies," said Justin McBride, project director at the UCLA IRLE. "Our second edition of this report measures how California's unions and workers confronted steep challenges in the first year after President Trump took office."
Unions: Significant gains, significant obstacles
Despite those challenges, the addition of more than 100,000 workers increased the share of California's union-represented workforce to 16.7% in 2025, the report shows. At the same time, private-sector union elections fell by more than 22%, while the backlog of unresolved cases before the National Labor Relations Board more than doubled.
For workers who did successfully organize, winning union representation did not necessarily mean quickly securing a contract, according to the report, which cites a first-of-its-kind survey conducted by researchers at labor centers on eight University of California campuses. That survey found that by the spring of 2026, half of the bargaining units formed in California in 2024 still had not ratified a first contract.
The report also includes six regional case studies from labor centers across the UC highlighting workers' efforts to improve conditions and win representation, from Starbucks workers at Southern California's Downtown Disney to hospitality workers at tribal casinos.
"Workers around the nation are facing the compounding crises of the cost of living, global conflicts and rising authoritarianism," said Toby Higbie, director of the UCLA IRLE. "Despite these challenges, California unions continue to push forward with creative organizing strategies to defend and expand worker rights."
More labor stories at UCLA
► UCLA launches department of labor studies
► New tool monitors and tracks AI's impact on the labor market
► UCLA Labor Center 'mixtape' celebrates 60 years of worker advocacy
► Trailblazing by transit: A podcast on India's women auto drivers
► In memoriam: Kent Wong, former director of UCLA Labor Center
► In memoriam: Rev. James Lawson Jr., civil and workers' rights icon
