Union Membership Keeps Dropping in 2006
That number was 20.1% in 1983, when BLS first provided such comparable numbers and that number has been declining steadily, according to a press release .
The union membership rate for government workers, 36.2%, was substantially higher than for private industry workers, 7.4%.
Local government workers in the public sector had the highest union membership at 41.9%, which includes several heavily unionized occupations, such as teachers, police officers, and firefighters.
Among major private industries, transportation and
utilities had the highest union membership rate, at 23.2%,
followed by construction at 13%. Within the information
industry, telecommunications had a 20.7% union membership
rate and the financial sector had the lowest unionization
rate for the year at 1.9%.
Among occupational groups, education, training, and library
occupations (37.3%) and protective service occupations
(34.7%) had the highest unionization rates among
occupational groups. Transportation and material moving
occupations had 18.5% participation; construction and
extraction occupations, 17.6%; installation, maintenance,
and repair occupations, 15.8%; community and social
services occupations, 15.6%; and production occupations,
15.5%.
Sales and related occupations had 3.1% participation and
farming, fishing and forestry occupations had the lowest
unionization rates, at 3.5%.
The BLS data also showed that union participation was
higher for men (13%) than for women (10.9%).
You Might Also Like:
DOL Sues Blue Cross Blue Shield Minnesota for Collecting $66.8M in Provider Tax
Lively Launches Lifestyle Spending Benefits for Plan Sponsors
Corebridge Hires Chris Smith to Replace COO Mia Tarpey
« Dissipation of Employer-Sponsored Benefits Endangers American Dream