:: rawblogXport ::

:: Wednesday, September 22, 2004 ::

Union dues By David Rapp, The Manufacturer
Why are many labor unions keen on having the ear of the next President? In a word: outsourcing. Unions have seen a continuous stream of former union jobs heading overseas—estimates vary, but all agree that hundreds of thousands of jobs have been outsourced since 2001. It’s hurting labor’s numbers, to be sure: labor union membership has indeed shrunk in recent years. In 2003, 12.9 percent of wage and salary workers were union members, down from 13.3 percent in 2002, according to the latest figures from the US Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics. The number of people belonging to a union fell by a whopping 369,000 in 2003. That still leaves 15.8 million union members, but the decline is somewhat alarming. Thirty-three states—66 percent of the country—reported a drop in union membership in 2003.

In manufacturing alone, union membership went from 2.4 million to 2.2 million in one year—a net loss of 200,000 workers. If unions continue to lose that many each year, they would have no membership in a mere 11 years.

posted 6:59 AM :: reference link :: 0 comments ::

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