Private Sector Unions Saw Growth In 2011

[Richardo]

Fri, 01/27/2012 - 1:25pm
by Sam Hananel, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Union membership grew slightly last year, giving labor leaders hope that a period of steep declines has finally bottomed out.

The number of unionized workers increased by about 50,000 to nearly 14.8 million members in 2011, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday. The increase comes after unions lost nearly 1.4 million members over the previous two years.

Still, unions' share of the overall workforce fell, from 11.9 percent to 11.8 percent, as state and local governments trimmed thousands of jobs to address budget shortfalls. That's the lowest percentage of union workers since the Great Depression in the 1930s.

<snip> <Discussion of public sector union jobs in decline>

Florida saw the largest increase in union members last year, up 68,000, followed by Michigan, a 44,000 increase as auto industry employment surged. Union membership fell most sharply in New York, down 53,000.

Among full-time wage and salary workers, the median weekly earnings of union members was $938, compared to $729 for nonunion workers.

Much more here: http://www.manufacturing.net/news/2012/01/private-sector-unions-saw-growth-in-2011?et_cid=2448630&et_rid=54692302&linkid=http%3a%2f%2fwww.manufacturing.net%2fnews%2f2012%2f01%2fprivate-sector-unions-saw-growth-in-2011

Not at all a bed of roses, and of course that modest increase in the private sector was offset (not entirely though) by the attacks on public sector unions.

Still, the trend's in the right direction.

[CatholicEdHead]

1. Businesses are taking advantage of their workers

in this down time. It sounds like some are sick of it and coming together to improve things.

[Kingofalldems]

2. K and R all pro union threads

[Populist_Prole]

5. And here's another

Momentum going forward, or the arresting of a bad trend: It's all good news.

[patrice]

3. Unions are key to a situation in which American wages are being depressed.

American corporate partners in global financial houses of cards could be pimping our wages:productivity to foreign partners in order to save their own asses from the consequences of THEIR own gambling, the '08 Derivative Crash.

I'm relistening to Zinn's A People's History of the United States and wondering IF/how* the patterns of the 19th century in which SOME unions helped establish the ascendency of the corporate state will be repeated.

Time to read up on the *TWO* branches in the Labor Family Tree, because *HOW is a very important question.

[pampango]

4. As you say, "the trend is in the right direction." Let's hope it continues. n/t

[Scuba]

6. Credit must be given to Scott Walker, John Kasich, et al.

[boppers]

7. They need to stop excluding "managers" and "bosses".

IMHO

[lonestarnot]

8. K & R!