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The Conversation USA

Declining union membership could be making working-class Americans less happy and more susceptible to drug overdoses

  • Written by Samia Islam, Professor of Economics, Boise State University
imageProtesters gather at a union-organized rally outside the U.S. Capitol in February 2025. Allison Robbert/AFP via Getty Images

When fewer people belong to unions and unions have less power, the impact goes beyond wages and job security. Those changes can hurt public health and make people more unhappy.

We’re economistswho research labor and...

Read more: Declining union membership could be making working-class Americans less happy and more susceptible...

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