Updated January 24, 2011
United States labor unions lost approximately 612,000 wage and salary members during 2010, according to a new report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Union membership has decreased from 17.1 million workers in 1983 to 14.7 million in 2010. An additional 1.6 million workers were covered by a union contract but were not members of a union in 2010. However, weekly wages for union members continues to exceed wages for non-union members by $200.About 11.9% of all US wage and salary workers reported being members of unions in 2010, down from 12.3% in 2009. In 1983, union membership represented 20.1% of all US wage and salary workers. An additional 1.6 million workers were covered by a union contract but were not members of a union in 2010.
Industries and Occupations of Union Members in 2010
According to the BLS report "Union Members - 2010," while 36.2% of 21 million total public sector workers belonged to unions, only 6.9% of 103 million private sector workers were union members. In terms of raw numbers, 7.6 million public sector employees belonged to a union, compared with 7.1 million union members in the private sector. Public sector workers are those employed by federal, state or local governments. Union membership is more likely to be mandatory for public sector workers than for private sector workers.
- Public Sector: Within the public sector, local government workers had the highest union membership rate, 42.3%. This group includes workers in heavily unionized occupations, such as public school teachers, police officers, and fire fighters.
- Private Sector: Private sector industries with high unionization rates included transportation and utilities (21.8%), telecommunications (15.8%), and construction (13.1%). In 2010, low unionization rates occurred in agriculture and related industries (1.6%) and in financial activities (2.0%).
Also See: The Government Job Finder
Demographics of Union Members in 2010
While men, with a union membership rate of 12.6% remain more likely to be union members than women (11.1%), this gap has narrowed since 1983, when the union membership rate for men was about 10 percentage points higher than the rate for women. Between 1983 and 2010, the union membership rate for men declined by 12.1 percentage points, while the rate for women declined by 3.5 percentage points.
In 2010, black workers were more likely to be union members than workers who were white, Asian, or Hispanic. Black men had the highest union membership rate (14.8%), while Asian men had the lowest rate (9.4%).
As to age, 55- to 64-year-old workers had the highest union membership rate at 15.7%, while the lowest union membership rate (4.3%) occurred among workers ages 16 to 24.
Earnings of Union Members in 2010
According to "Union Members - 2010," full-time wage and salary workers who were union members had median usual weekly earnings of $917 during 2010, while workers not represented by unions had median weekly earnings of $717. This result is in line with BLS data released in 2002, when union members had median weekly earnings of $740, compared to $587 for non-union workers. This result is in line with BLS data released in 2002, showing median weekly earnings of $740 for union members, compared to $587 for non-union workers.
Also See: The Benefits of Joining a Union
"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," said Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis in a press release.
To the decline in union membership, Secretary Solis added, "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."
