Union Membership Declines to Lowest Point since the Great Depression
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A continuing decline in union membership now means that there are less union workers in the United States than at any point in history since World War II. Union membership fell to 11.1% of the total number of wage and salary workers in the U.S. as part of a trend that has been continuing since 1980, according to a new study by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
A continuing decline in union membership now means that there are less union workers in the United States than at any point in history since World War II. Union membership fell to 11.1% of the total number of wage and salary workers in the U.S. as part of a trend that has been continuing since 1980, according to a new study by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
After spiking at 33% in the middle of the 1950s, the percentage of wage and salary workers who are members of unions has been falling, with accelerated declines beginning in 1980. Not only are unions significantly less powerful in the United States, but also membership is extremely uneven. Public-sector workers are 5 times more likely to be part of a union, with a 35.2% union membership rate versus just 6.7% for private-sector workers.
Unions are more popular amongst construction work, education, training, and library occupations, while geographical membership trends are highly uneven. In New York, where union membership is at its highest, 24.7% of workers are members of a union; in South Carolina, only 2.1% of workers are in a union.
Union Members: Higher Pay, Protections
According to the BLS, non-union workers earn 74 cents for every dollar that union workers earn, despite the fact that many higher paying positions, such as management (5.4% union membership), business and financial operations (5.9%), computer and mathematical occupations (4.2%), and architecture and engineering occupations (6.1%) have substantially lower union membership than lower paying occupations.
The United States Secretary of Labor, Thomas E. Perez, lamented the weakening position of unions in American economic life, arguing that they are “one of the most powerful forces for strengthening the middle class and providing economic stability, for members and non-members alike.”
In a statement, Perez noted the higher pay of union workers has a significant impact on middle class life. “That’s not pocket change – it comes to more than $10,000 per year. That goes a long way toward writing the mortgage check, paying down the car loan, or even just keeping the kids in snow boots,” he said, adding, “that doesn’t even account for the superior benefits, safer workplaces and other advantages that come with union representation.”
Empowered Workers, Less Inequality
Perez also wants to remind America that many benefits taken for granted, such as the modern workweek, exist only because of union efforts. “Plus, strong unions empower all working people, putting upward pressure on wages and labor standards throughout the economy. After all, you don’t need a union card to have benefitted from the advent of the weekend.”
He also argues that union membership can help reduce income inequality in America, after it has risen for several decades as union membership fell. “When a larger percentage of workers belong to unions, the middle class grows and thrives. But research shows that a decline in union membership over roughly the last four decades is responsible for one-third of the growth in wage inequality among men and one-fifth of the growth in wage inequality among women,” he said.
