Thursday, January 27, 2005
Tweet[IWS] BLS: UNION MEMBERS IN 2004 [27 January 2005]
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 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 of
Labor Statistics reported today. The union membership rate has steadily
declined from a high of 20.1 percent in 1983, the first year for which
comparable union data are available. Some highlights from the 2004 data
are:
--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 in-
clude 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 more
than four times that of private-sector employees. At 36.4 percent, the
unionization rate for government workers was down slightly from 37.2
percent a year earlier. The rate for private industry workers, at 7.9
percent in 2004, was about half what it had been in 1983. Within the
public sector, local government workers had the highest union membership
rate, 41.3 percent. This group includes several heavily unionized occu-
pations, such as teachers, police officers, and fire fighters. Among
major private industries, transportation and utilities had the highest
union 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. Financial
activities had the lowest unionization rate in 2004--2.0 percent. (See
table 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 (19.4
percent), transportation and material moving occupations (18.8 percent),
community and social services occupations (17.4 percent), and production
occupations (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.)
AND MUCH 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
School of Industrial & Labor Relations
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor
New York, NY 10016
________________________________________________________________________
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 of
Labor Statistics reported today. The union membership rate has steadily
declined from a high of 20.1 percent in 1983, the first year for which
comparable union data are available. Some highlights from the 2004 data
are:
--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 in-
clude 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 more
than four times that of private-sector employees. At 36.4 percent, the
unionization rate for government workers was down slightly from 37.2
percent a year earlier. The rate for private industry workers, at 7.9
percent in 2004, was about half what it had been in 1983. Within the
public sector, local government workers had the highest union membership
rate, 41.3 percent. This group includes several heavily unionized occu-
pations, such as teachers, police officers, and fire fighters. Among
major private industries, transportation and utilities had the highest
union 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. Financial
activities had the lowest unionization rate in 2004--2.0 percent. (See
table 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 (19.4
percent), transportation and material moving occupations (18.8 percent),
community and social services occupations (17.4 percent), and production
occupations (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.)
AND MUCH 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 : 2:29 PM
