Nationally, unions had 14.715 million members last year, or 11.9% of all workers. Both union membership, down by 612,000, and density, down 0.4%, declined from the year before.
In 2010, the percentage of Minnesota workers represented by unions rose from 15.7 to 16.1 percent. Some 397,000 Minnesotans are represented by unions, compared to 377,000 in 2009.
The recession pushed down union membership by 1.3 million in the last two years, BLS data analyst Jim Walker said. Many firms shut down, laid off workers and did not fill openings.
The recession hit especially hard in three more-densely unionized sectors: manufacturing, construction and local government, Walker said.
“Also, men dominate those industries – especially manufacturing and construction – and they have a higher share of union membership and were particularly hard hit by the downturn,” he said.
By contrast, he said, more lightly unionized sectors, including health care and hospitality, were not as hard hit by the recession. As a result, 6.9% of private sector workers are unionized, compared to 36.2% of public workers. Public sector unionists outnumber private sector unionists by 500,000.
The most highly unionized industries in the private sector are transportation and utilities (21.8%), telecommunications (15.8%), and construction (13.1%).
In terms of the percentage of workers represented by unions, Minnesota ranks 14th nationally among the states. New York, with 26 percent, and Alaska, 24.8, are the most highly unionized, followed by Hawaii, 23.5; Washington, 21.3; California, 18.6; New Jersey and Oregon, 17.7; Connecticut and Rhode Island, 17.4; Michigan, 17.3; Nevada, 16.8; West Virginia, 16.5; and Illinois, 16.4.
California (2.5 million) and New York (2.1 million) have the highest number of actual union members. The least unionized states are North Carolina, 4.9 percent; and Georgia, 5 percent.
In conjunction with the release of the membership statistics, U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis issued a statement praising the role unions play in raising the standard of living for working people.
“The data also show the median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary union members were $917 per week, compared to $717 for workers not represented by unions,” Solis said. “For Latinos, the wage disparity is even greater with union members earning an average of $771 compared to $512 for workers not represented by unions, a difference of 33.6 percent.
“When coupled with existing data showing that union members have access to better health care, retirement and leave benefits, today’s numbers make it clear that union jobs are not only good jobs, they are central to restoring our middle class.
“As workers across the country continue to face lower wages and difficulty finding work due to the recent recession, these numbers demonstrate the pressing need to provide workers with a voice in the workplace and protect their right to organize and bargain collectively.”
This article includes information from Press Associates, Inc., news service.
For more information
Learn more at the Bureau of Labor Statistics website
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Nationally, unions had 14.715 million members last year, or 11.9% of all workers. Both union membership, down by 612,000, and density, down 0.4%, declined from the year before.
In 2010, the percentage of Minnesota workers represented by unions rose from 15.7 to 16.1 percent. Some 397,000 Minnesotans are represented by unions, compared to 377,000 in 2009.
The recession pushed down union membership by 1.3 million in the last two years, BLS data analyst Jim Walker said. Many firms shut down, laid off workers and did not fill openings.
The recession hit especially hard in three more-densely unionized sectors: manufacturing, construction and local government, Walker said.
“Also, men dominate those industries – especially manufacturing and construction – and they have a higher share of union membership and were particularly hard hit by the downturn,” he said.
By contrast, he said, more lightly unionized sectors, including health care and hospitality, were not as hard hit by the recession. As a result, 6.9% of private sector workers are unionized, compared to 36.2% of public workers. Public sector unionists outnumber private sector unionists by 500,000.
The most highly unionized industries in the private sector are transportation and utilities (21.8%), telecommunications (15.8%), and construction (13.1%).
In terms of the percentage of workers represented by unions, Minnesota ranks 14th nationally among the states. New York, with 26 percent, and Alaska, 24.8, are the most highly unionized, followed by Hawaii, 23.5; Washington, 21.3; California, 18.6; New Jersey and Oregon, 17.7; Connecticut and Rhode Island, 17.4; Michigan, 17.3; Nevada, 16.8; West Virginia, 16.5; and Illinois, 16.4.
California (2.5 million) and New York (2.1 million) have the highest number of actual union members. The least unionized states are North Carolina, 4.9 percent; and Georgia, 5 percent.
In conjunction with the release of the membership statistics, U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis issued a statement praising the role unions play in raising the standard of living for working people.
“The data also show the median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary union members were $917 per week, compared to $717 for workers not represented by unions,” Solis said. “For Latinos, the wage disparity is even greater with union members earning an average of $771 compared to $512 for workers not represented by unions, a difference of 33.6 percent.
“When coupled with existing data showing that union members have access to better health care, retirement and leave benefits, today’s numbers make it clear that union jobs are not only good jobs, they are central to restoring our middle class.
“As workers across the country continue to face lower wages and difficulty finding work due to the recent recession, these numbers demonstrate the pressing need to provide workers with a voice in the workplace and protect their right to organize and bargain collectively.”
This article includes information from Press Associates, Inc., news service.
For more information
Learn more at the Bureau of Labor Statistics website