Labor Union Membership

With key, early actions taken by the Obama administration lining up with the agenda of labor unions, one might get the impression that unions mattered, or were on the rise, in our economy. 

Actually, for decades, it has been the exact opposite. And the data released on January 28 by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics provide a powerful reminder of the diminished role unions play in our economy. 

Consider the following:

• Union members accounted for 12.4 percent of all wage and salary workers in the U.S. in 2008. That compared to 12.1 percent in 2007, but to 20.1 percent in 1983, and according to www.unionstats.com, 24.1 percent in 1979.

• As for the private sector, labor union members made up 7.6 percent of wage and salary workers, compared to 7.5 percent in 2007. But in 1983, it was 16.5 percent, and in 1973, it was 24.2 percent, according to www.unionstats.com.

• Finally, in the public sector, union members made up 36.8 percent of workers in 2008, versus 35.9 percent in 2007. Once more, according to www.unionstats.com, labor union membership has ranged between 34 percent and 38 percent since the late 1970s.

So, labor union membership is anything but a growth industry. Instead, it has been steadily dwindling. At best, the latest data might indicate some leveling off of unionization, but certainly no resurgence.

Raymond J. Keating

Chief Economist

Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council