Organized labor added members last year. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that about 14.7 million wage and salary workers belonged to a union in 2025, with the union membership rate holding steady at 10.0%. Membership rose from the prior year — a modest but real gain after years of decline.
Where union strength is concentrated
Unionization remains far higher in the public sector, at about 32.9%, than in the private sector, at roughly 5.9%. Utilities, transportation, and education continue to be among the most heavily unionized fields. For millions of these workers, a union card comes with real benefits — including, often, a group life insurance certificate.
Group life is valuable — but it’s tied to the job
Here is the catch most members don’t think about until it matters: employer- and association-provided group life insurance is usually tied to the job or the membership. When you retire, change employers, leave the trade, or the group plan changes, that coverage often ends or drops sharply. The benefit amount is also frequently modest — enough to help, rarely enough to cover a family’s full obligations.
A group certificate might cover roughly one year of salary or a flat amount, and it commonly ends at retirement or separation. Actual terms vary by plan; this is an illustration, not a quote or guarantee.
Own a policy that outlasts any job
An individually owned policy solves the portability problem. Because you own it — not your employer or local — it goes with you from job to job and into retirement, and the rate is locked in based on your age and health when you buy. Many union families keep their valuable group coverage and add an owned whole life or final expense policy underneath it, so there is never a gap. We walk through this specifically on our union members page.
What to check on your union certificate
If you carry group life through your local or employer, a few minutes of reading can save your family a surprise. Look for three things: the benefit amount (is it a flat sum or a multiple of pay, and is it enough?), what happens at retirement or separation (does the coverage end, and can you convert it to an individual policy?), and whether the amount steps down at a certain age. Group certificates are convenient because they require little or no underwriting, but that convenience is exactly why they are structured to end when your relationship with the employer or association does.
Knowing those answers tells you the size of the gap you might want to fill with owned coverage — and whether a term policy, a permanent policy, or a layer of both makes the most sense for your household.
What this means for you
Growing union membership is good news for workers’ bargaining power — but don’t let your family’s protection depend entirely on a benefit that ends when the paycheck does. Check what your group certificate actually covers, then close any gap with a portable policy. Our free calculator can help you estimate how much coverage your household really needs.
Sources
Frequently Asked Questions
How many union members were there in 2025?
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported about 14.7 million union members in 2025, with the union membership rate holding at 10.0%. Membership rose from the prior year.
Does union group life insurance follow me if I leave the job?
Usually not. Employer- and association-provided group life is typically tied to the job or membership and often ends or drops sharply when you retire, change employers, or leave the trade. An individually owned policy stays with you.
Should I replace my union group life insurance?
Not necessarily -- group coverage is a valuable benefit. Many union families keep it and add an owned policy underneath so there is no gap if the group coverage ends. A licensed agent can help you compare.
Coverage that stays with you.
A licensed United Trust Life agent can help union families add portable coverage that outlasts any job — free, no pressure, no exam in most cases.
Coverage for Union Members →