In 2009, the union membership rate – the percent of wage and salary workers who were members of a union – was 12.3 percent, essentially unchanged from 12.4 percent a year earlier, the BLS said. The number of workers belonging to unions declined by 771,000 to 15.3 million, largely reflecting the overall drop in employment due to the recession.
In Minnesota, the percentage of union members dropped one point, from 16.1 percent to 15.1 percent. The percentage of workers represented by unions (including those covered by contracts who choose not to join) dipped even more, from 17 percent in 2008 to 15.7 percent in 2009.
The information on union membership was collected as part of the Current Population Survey. BLS offered these highlights from the 2009 data:
• More public sector employees (7.9 million) belonged to a union than did private sector employees (7.4 million), despite there being five times more wage and salary workers in the private sector. Unions attribute this in part to Corporate America creating a hostile environment for organizing in many workplaces.
• Workers in education, training, and library occupations had the highest unionization rate at 38.1 percent.
• Black workers were more likely to be union members than were white, Asian, or Hispanic workers.
• Among states, New York had the highest union membership rate (25.2 percent) and North Carolina had the lowest rate (3.1 percent).
• Within the public sector, local government workers had the highest union membership rate, 43.3 percent. This group includes workers in heavily unionized occupations, such as teachers, police officers and fire fighters.
• Private sector industries with high unionization rates included transportation and utilities (22.2 percent), telecommunications (16.0 percent), and construction (14.5 percent).
While BLS offered no specific explanation for the drop in Minnesota’s membership rate, it is likely due in part to the record-level unemployment the state has experienced in the past two years, particularly in manufacturing and construction.
For more information
Visit the BLS website
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In 2009, the union membership rate – the percent of wage and salary workers who were members of a union – was 12.3 percent, essentially unchanged from 12.4 percent a year earlier, the BLS said. The number of workers belonging to unions declined by 771,000 to 15.3 million, largely reflecting the overall drop in employment due to the recession.
In Minnesota, the percentage of union members dropped one point, from 16.1 percent to 15.1 percent. The percentage of workers represented by unions (including those covered by contracts who choose not to join) dipped even more, from 17 percent in 2008 to 15.7 percent in 2009.
The information on union membership was collected as part of the Current Population Survey. BLS offered these highlights from the 2009 data:
• More public sector employees (7.9 million) belonged to a union than did private sector employees (7.4 million), despite there being five times more wage and salary workers in the private sector. Unions attribute this in part to Corporate America creating a hostile environment for organizing in many workplaces.
• Workers in education, training, and library occupations had the highest unionization rate at 38.1 percent.
• Black workers were more likely to be union members than were white, Asian, or Hispanic workers.
• Among states, New York had the highest union membership rate (25.2 percent) and North Carolina had the lowest rate (3.1 percent).
• Within the public sector, local government workers had the highest union membership rate, 43.3 percent. This group includes workers in heavily unionized occupations, such as teachers, police officers and fire fighters.
• Private sector industries with high unionization rates included transportation and utilities (22.2 percent), telecommunications (16.0 percent), and construction (14.5 percent).
While BLS offered no specific explanation for the drop in Minnesota’s membership rate, it is likely due in part to the record-level unemployment the state has experienced in the past two years, particularly in manufacturing and construction.
For more information
Visit the BLS website