The number of unionized workers in both the public and private sectors fell again in 2012, continuing a downward trend, according to a survey conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Last year 11.3% of wage and salary workers belonged to a union, down from 11.8% in 2011. The BLS survey provides data on union membership by industry, occupation, member demographics, and location, and includes wage statistics for both union and non-union workers. Notable findings include the following:
- Unionization is more prevalent in the public than the private sector. Approximately 7.3 million (35.9%) of public sector employees belonged to a union, compared to 7.0 million (6.6%) of private sector employees.
- While 14.4 million wage and salary workers were union members in 2012, a total of 15.9 million individuals held jobs governed by a union contract. More than half (814,000) of the 1.6 million workers who were not union members but whose jobs were covered by collective bargaining agreements were private sector employees.
- Private-sector industries with high unionization rates included transportation and utilities (20.6%), telecommunications (15.6%), and construction (13.2%). Local government workers including teachers, police officers, and firefighters were the most likely individuals to be represented by a union in the public sector.
- Agricultural and related industry workers as well as those engaged in financial activities were the least likely to be unionized, with membership rates of 1.4% and 1.9%, respectively.
- The median weekly pay for unionized full-time wage and salary workers in 2012 was $943, compared to $742 for non-union workers.
- With respect to demographics, workers most favoring union membership tended to be older (ages 55 to 64), African American, and male.
- States with the highest union membership in 2012 were New York (23.2%), Alaska (22.4%), and Hawaii (21.6%). States with the lowest rates were North Carolina (2.9%), Arkansas (3.2%), and South Carolina (3.3%). The survey notes that approximately half of all union members lived in the following seven states: California (2.5 million); New York (1.8 million); Illinois (0.8 million); Pennsylvania (0.7 million); Michigan (0.6 million); New Jersey (0.6 million); and Ohio (0.6 million).
A list of the survey tables can be found here.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.