Wednesday, January 28, 2009
[IWS] BLS: UNION MEMBERS IN 2008 [28 January 2009]
IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________
UNION MEMBERS IN 2008 [28 January 2009]
http://www.bls.gov/news.release/union2.nr0.htm
or
http://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/union2.pdf
[full-text, 12 pages]
In 2008, union members accounted for 12.4 percent of employed wage
and salary workers, up from 12.1 percent a year earlier, the U.S.
Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. The
number of workers belonging to a union rose by 428,000 to 16.1 million.
In 1983, the first year for which comparable union data are available,
the union membership rate was 20.1 percent, and there were 17.7 million
union workers.
The data on union membership were collected as part of the Current
Population Survey (CPS). The CPS is a monthly survey of about 60,000
households that obtains information on employment and unemployment
among the nation's civilian noninstitutional population age 16 and
over.
Some highlights from the 2008 data are:
--Government workers were nearly five times more likely to belong
to a union than were private sector employees.
--Workers in education, training, and library occupations had the
highest unionization rate at 38.7 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
(24.9 percent) and North Carolina had the lowest rate (3.5 percent).
Membership by Industry and Occupation
The union membership rate for public sector workers (36.8 percent)
was substantially higher than the rate for private industry workers
(7.6 percent). Within the public sector, local government workers had
the highest union membership rate, 42.2 percent. This group includes
many workers in several heavily unionized occupations, such as teachers,
police officers, and fire fighters. Private sector industries with
high unionization rates include transportation and utilities (22.2 per-
cent), telecommunications (19.3 percent), and construction (15.6 per-
cent). In 2008, unionization rates were relatively low in financial
activities (1.8 percent) and professional and business services (2.1
percent). (See table 3.)
Among occupational groups, education, training, and library occupa-
tions (38.7 percent) and protective service occupations (35.4 percent)
had the highest unionization rates in 2008. Sales and related occu-
pations (3.3 percent) and farming, fishing, and forestry occupations
(4.3 percent) had the lowest unionization rates. (See table 3.)
AND MORE...including TABLES....
______________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.
Stuart Basefsky
Director, IWS News Bureau
Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell/ILR School
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10016
Telephone: (607) 255-2703
Fax: (607) 255-9641
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu
****************************************
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________
UNION MEMBERS IN 2008 [28 January 2009]
http://www.bls.gov/news.release/union2.nr0.htm
or
http://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/union2.pdf
[full-text, 12 pages]
In 2008, union members accounted for 12.4 percent of employed wage
and salary workers, up from 12.1 percent a year earlier, the U.S.
Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. The
number of workers belonging to a union rose by 428,000 to 16.1 million.
In 1983, the first year for which comparable union data are available,
the union membership rate was 20.1 percent, and there were 17.7 million
union workers.
The data on union membership were collected as part of the Current
Population Survey (CPS). The CPS is a monthly survey of about 60,000
households that obtains information on employment and unemployment
among the nation's civilian noninstitutional population age 16 and
over.
Some highlights from the 2008 data are:
--Government workers were nearly five times more likely to belong
to a union than were private sector employees.
--Workers in education, training, and library occupations had the
highest unionization rate at 38.7 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
(24.9 percent) and North Carolina had the lowest rate (3.5 percent).
Membership by Industry and Occupation
The union membership rate for public sector workers (36.8 percent)
was substantially higher than the rate for private industry workers
(7.6 percent). Within the public sector, local government workers had
the highest union membership rate, 42.2 percent. This group includes
many workers in several heavily unionized occupations, such as teachers,
police officers, and fire fighters. Private sector industries with
high unionization rates include transportation and utilities (22.2 per-
cent), telecommunications (19.3 percent), and construction (15.6 per-
cent). In 2008, unionization rates were relatively low in financial
activities (1.8 percent) and professional and business services (2.1
percent). (See table 3.)
Among occupational groups, education, training, and library occupa-
tions (38.7 percent) and protective service occupations (35.4 percent)
had the highest unionization rates in 2008. Sales and related occu-
pations (3.3 percent) and farming, fishing, and forestry occupations
(4.3 percent) had the lowest unionization rates. (See table 3.)
AND MORE...including TABLES....
______________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.
Stuart Basefsky
Director, IWS News Bureau
Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell/ILR School
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10016
Telephone: (607) 255-2703
Fax: (607) 255-9641
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu
****************************************
# posted by SBasefsky : 9:06 AM
