Union Membership in Companies Slumps to Record Low 6.9% in 2010

Union Membership in Companies Slumps to Record Low 6.9% in 2010

Union membership in U.S. companies slumped to a record low last year as the recession eroded employment in industries where organized labor represents the workforce, the Labor Department reported. Labor unions represented 6.9 percent of employees in companies last year, down from 7.2 percent in 2009, according to data released today. Union rolls shrank to 7.1 million, led by a drop in the construction industry, where membership fell to 13.1 percent of workers from 14.5 percent a year earlier, the agency said. “Today’s numbers are a telling indication of the fundamental imbalance in our nation’s economy,” said Kimberly Freeman Brown, executive director of American Rights at Work, a Washington-based group seeking to make it easier for workers to unionize. The group said “union membership levels fell drastically.”

Total union membership, including public employees, fell to 11.9 percent of the workforce from 12.3 percent in 2009, the agency reported. Unions represented 36.2 percent of workers in public-sector jobs.

Union representation has declined since 1983, the first year the agency collected the data, when 20.1 percent of the U.S. workforce and 16.8 percent of company workers were organized.

www.bloomberg.com...


It's no coincidence that the middle class...along with Unions....are disappearing. Since the Reagan era their power had declined. As they began to weaken, free trade agreements were able to be signed. Labor unions have always fought to keep tariffs high to protect their wages and standard of living. This benefitted EVERYONE...not just them.

We also quit enforcing anti-trust laws to prevent monopolies and encourage competition...to keep the money flowing and circulating...something we no longer do.

And now we are witnessing the end result of that. The middle class is nearly gone...much of it that is left is actually in a labor union....the few that are still able TO KEEP THEIR JOB FROM GOING TO CHINA.

And now we are going to destroy them...because that is what we are told on tv. After all, it has to be their fault right? Trillions lost to war and endless tax breaks/cut for BILLIONAIRES...and this is the result.

Considering Unions nowadays don't represent, and haven't in quite sometime, it comes as no surprise! Why anyone would want to be a part of an organization that practices extortion, and then does nothing for its members is beyond me? Stupid is as stupid does I suppose?

reply to post by Whereweheaded


As a former union member in office it seemed that all of our resources were not necessarily for the advancement of the good employees but more often defending the dirtbags who used up resources...very few unions will turn their back on a dues paying member knowing all to well that they are guilty...that's one of the major defects of a union that puts them in a bad light...not to mention the internal exploitation of union relief time for certain members of union office..a day off for a three hour meeting...paid trips to other states for conventions that foster animosity towards managers in general, minimal turnout of membership to these conventions despite the conference being booked solid..people would sign in then go on sightseeing adventures with their family...and yes there are the good sides but like most things in life the bad always seem to stick out more...just my experience and I'm not challenging anyone here..

reply to post by chrismarco


Any entity is going to have some type of corruption. Whether it be a church, union, or business....it's everywhere. It's just how some people are and no type of organization is immune to it.

Unions are very weak right now. The last election may have been the final blow. Once they are gone, what is left of the middle class will go along with it.

reply to post by David9176


The unions have only themselves to blame for the situation they find themselves in. Unions have gone from organizations that worked honestly to protect worker's rights and working conditions to extortion rackets who use the heavy hand against their members, corporations and politicians.

Why is it that when ever the UAW goes into a right to work state and attempts to organize the workers at auto plants the union loses? They lose because the workers are interested in working for a healthy company, not one that is being driven to the dirt by unions.

This is the final back lash against the unions and they will never recover from it. They did it to themselves. Union janitors in NYC making over $100K/year, teachers who under perform making $100K/y with tenure who can't be fired. Folks are sick of the heavy handed nonsense, the corruption and the incompetence.

Spend 2 hours and watch "Waiting for Superman" and then talk up the unions. The unions have killed our manufacturing base, they have destroyed our public education system and they have been behind the bloat of state and local government.

I've worked in both the public and private sectors and can tell you by first hand experience that there was absolutely no comparrison between the skills, dedication and integrity of the union and non-union folks. There is no way I would open a business in a non right to work state, no way.

reply to post by David9176


The truth is there are bad unions and good unions, no doubt we get both. That being said, there is no denying that without the Union, it would just be the individual dealing with the employer, and while I agree there are good employers out there, history shows us that employees are the ones who are often ripped off. Like or not, Unions have played a significant role in assuring suitable minimum wages and improved working environment over the years. Now, libertarians and conservatives love to point to us of the violent labour unions before, or corrupted Unions, and this somehow labels all unions under the same unbrella. It's another fallicious argument, in the same manner that all businesses are bad, or that all gun groups or other political advocacy organizations are negative, it is simply not the case.

So now certain folks want to blame Unions for the fact businesses are cutting back, because goodness knows that if we only just put our complete trust and faith in all employers and businesses, we'd be fine. I mean hey, it's the way of the system that we compete on slave labour with the likes of Indian and Vietnamese workers. The arguments against Unions do not stand, it's just more excuses and lies parroted on here from the corporate media.

Like or not, it is our constitutional right to be apart of Unions. I don't believe that private businesses or even government organizations should be obligated to abide by the rules of Unions, but they cannot strip employees of that fundalmental right to petition and participate in Unions. I can say the exact same for political organisations and advocacy organisations. It is our right, and to be frank, regarding those Union protestors in Wisconson, their rights are not being stripped of them. Governor Walker may have established this rule that employees cannot bargain, but that's his own law, his own rule, it doesn't apply to that constitutional right of the employee. Public workers are more than welcome to walk off the job, and you know what, if other folks wish to work for slave labour against their own interests? So be it, although I trust they will not fill the void of employees needed for the state to function, contrary to the delusions of others.