Monday, May 16, 2005
2004 Union Membership Data
UNION MEMBERS IN 2004 [27 January 2005]
http://www.bls.gov/news.release/union2.nr0.htm or
http://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/union2.pdf[full-text, 12 pages]
In 2004, 12.5 percent of wage and salary workers were union members,down from 12.9 percent in 2003, the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau ofLabor Statistics reported today. The union membership rate has steadilydeclined from a high of 20.1 percent in 1983, the first year for whichcomparable union data are available. Some highlights from the 2004 dataare:
--About 36 percent of government workers were union members in 2004, compared with about 8 percent of workers in private-sector industries.
--Two occupational groups--education, training, and library occupations and protective service occupations--had the highest unionization rates in 2004, at about 37 percent each. Protective service occupations include fire fighters and police officers.
--Men were more likely to be union members than women.
--Black workers were more likely to be union members than were white, Asian, or Hispanic or Latino workers.
Membership by Industry and Occupation
In 2004, workers in the public sector had a union membership rate morethan four times that of private-sector employees. At 36.4 percent, theunionization rate for government workers was down slightly from 37.2percent a year earlier. The rate for private industry workers, at 7.9percent in 2004, was about half what it had been in 1983. Within thepublic sector, local government workers had the highest union membershiprate, 41.3 percent. This group includes several heavily unionized occu-pations, such as teachers, police officers, and fire fighters. Amongmajor private industries, transportation and utilities had the highestunion membership rate, at 24.9 percent. Construction (14.7 percent),information industries (14.2 percent), and manufacturing (12.9 percent)also had higher-than-average rates. Within the information industry,telecommunications had a 22.4 percent union membership rate. Financialactivities had the lowest unionization rate in 2004--2.0 percent. (Seetable 3.)
Among occupational groups, education, training, and library occupations(37.6 percent) and protective service workers (37.3 percent) had the high-est unionization rates in 2004. Construction and extraction occupations(19.6 percent), installation, maintenance, and repair occupations (19.4percent), transportation and material moving occupations (18.8 percent),community and social services occupations (17.4 percent), and productionoccupations (16.3 percent) also had higher-than-average rates. Farming,fishing, and forestry occupations (3.1 percent) and sales and related oc-cupations (3.6 percent) had the lowest unionization rates. (See table 3.)
News Source: Institute for Workplace Studies, Cornell University
http://www.bls.gov/news.release/union2.nr0.htm or
http://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/union2.pdf[full-text, 12 pages]
In 2004, 12.5 percent of wage and salary workers were union members,down from 12.9 percent in 2003, the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau ofLabor Statistics reported today. The union membership rate has steadilydeclined from a high of 20.1 percent in 1983, the first year for whichcomparable union data are available. Some highlights from the 2004 dataare:
--About 36 percent of government workers were union members in 2004, compared with about 8 percent of workers in private-sector industries.
--Two occupational groups--education, training, and library occupations and protective service occupations--had the highest unionization rates in 2004, at about 37 percent each. Protective service occupations include fire fighters and police officers.
--Men were more likely to be union members than women.
--Black workers were more likely to be union members than were white, Asian, or Hispanic or Latino workers.
Membership by Industry and Occupation
In 2004, workers in the public sector had a union membership rate morethan four times that of private-sector employees. At 36.4 percent, theunionization rate for government workers was down slightly from 37.2percent a year earlier. The rate for private industry workers, at 7.9percent in 2004, was about half what it had been in 1983. Within thepublic sector, local government workers had the highest union membershiprate, 41.3 percent. This group includes several heavily unionized occu-pations, such as teachers, police officers, and fire fighters. Amongmajor private industries, transportation and utilities had the highestunion membership rate, at 24.9 percent. Construction (14.7 percent),information industries (14.2 percent), and manufacturing (12.9 percent)also had higher-than-average rates. Within the information industry,telecommunications had a 22.4 percent union membership rate. Financialactivities had the lowest unionization rate in 2004--2.0 percent. (Seetable 3.)
Among occupational groups, education, training, and library occupations(37.6 percent) and protective service workers (37.3 percent) had the high-est unionization rates in 2004. Construction and extraction occupations(19.6 percent), installation, maintenance, and repair occupations (19.4percent), transportation and material moving occupations (18.8 percent),community and social services occupations (17.4 percent), and productionoccupations (16.3 percent) also had higher-than-average rates. Farming,fishing, and forestry occupations (3.1 percent) and sales and related oc-cupations (3.6 percent) had the lowest unionization rates. (See table 3.)
News Source: Institute for Workplace Studies, Cornell University
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