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Technical information:   (202) 691-6378     USDL 07-0113
                http://www.bls.gov/cps/
                                            For release: 10:00 A.M. EST
Media contact:                 691-5902     Thursday, January 25, 2007


                           
                           UNION MEMBERS IN 2006

   In 2006, 12.0 percent of employed wage and salary workers were union
members, down from 12.5 percent a year earlier, the U.S. Department of
Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today.  The number of persons
belonging to a union fell by 326,000 in 2006 to 15.4 million.  The union
membership rate has steadily declined from 20.1 percent in 1983, the first
year for which comparable union data are available.  Some highlights from
the 2006 data are:

     --Workers in the public sector had a union membership rate nearly
       five times that of private sector employees.

     --Education, training, and library occupations had the highest
       unionization rate among all occupations, at 37 percent.

     --The unionization rate was higher for men than for women.

     --Black workers were more likely to be union members than were white,
       Asian, or Hispanic workers.
   
Membership by Industry and Occupation
   
   The union membership rate for government workers (36.2 percent) was
substantially higher than for private industry workers (7.4 percent).
Within the public sector, local government workers had the highest union
membership rate, 41.9 percent.  This group includes several heavily union-
ized occupations, such as teachers, police officers, and fire fighters.
Among major private industries, transportation and utilities had the
highest union membership rate, at 23.2 percent, followed by construction
(13.0 percent).  Within the information industry, telecommunications had
a 20.7 percent union membership rate.  Financial activities had the lowest
unionization rate in 2006--1.9 percent.  (See table 3.)
   
   Among occupational groups, education, training, and library occupations
(37.3 percent) and protective service occupations (34.7 percent) had the
highest unionization rates in 2006.  Transportation and material moving
occupations (18.5 percent), construction and extraction occupations (17.6
percent), installation, maintenance, and repair occupations (15.8 percent),
community and social services occupations (15.6 percent), and production
occupations (15.5 percent) also had higher-than-average rates.  Sales and
related occupations (3.1 percent) and farming, fishing, and forestry occu-
pations (3.5 percent) had the lowest unionization rates.  (See table 3.)
   
                                  - 2 -

Demographic Characteristics of Union Members
   
   In 2006, the union membership rate was higher for men (13.0 percent)
than for women (10.9 percent).  (See table 1.)  The gap between their rates 
has narrowed considerably since 1983, when the rate for men was about 10 per-
centage points higher than the rate for women.  This narrowing occurred be-
cause the union membership rate for men declined more rapidly than the rate 
for women over the period.
   
   Black workers were more likely to be union members (14.5 percent) than
were whites (11.7 percent), Asians (10.4 percent), or Hispanics (9.8 per-
cent).  Among age groups, union membership rates were highest among workers
45 to 64 years old (16.0 percent) and were lowest among those ages 16 to 24
(4.4 percent).  Full-time workers were more than twice as likely as part-
time workers to be union members, 13.1 and 6.3 percent, respectively.  (See
table 1.)
   
Union Representation of Nonmembers
   
   About 1.5 million wage and salary workers were represented by a union
on their main job in 2006, while not being union members themselves.  (See
table 1.)  Slightly more than half of these workers were employed in govern-
ment.  (See table 3.)
   
Earnings
   
   In 2006, full-time wage and salary workers who were union members had
median usual weekly earnings of $833, compared with a median of $642 for
wage and salary workers who were not represented by unions.  (See table 2.)
The difference reflects a variety of influences in addition to coverage by
a collective bargaining agreement, including variations in the distributions
of union members and nonunion employees by occupation, industry, firm size,
or geographic region.  (For a discussion of the problem of differentiating
between the influence of unionization status and the influence of other
worker characteristics on employee earnings, see "Measuring union-nonunion
earnings differences," Monthly Labor Review, June 1990.)
   
Union Membership by State
   
   In 2006, 29 states and the District of Columbia had union membership
rates below that of the U.S. average, 12.0 percent, while 20 states had
higher rates and 1 state posted the same rate.  All states in the East
North Central, Middle Atlantic, and Pacific divisions reported union
membership rates at or above the national average, and all states in the
East South Central and West South Central divisions had rates below it.
Union membership rates were down in 30 states and the District of Columbia,
up in 17 states, and unchanged in 3 states from 2005.  (See table 5.) 
   
   Among the five states reporting union membership rates below 5.0 percent
in 2006, North Carolina and South Carolina continued to post the lowest
rates (3.3 percent each).  The next lowest rates were recorded in Virginia
(4.0 percent), Georgia (4.4 percent), and Texas (4.9 percent).  Four states
had union membership rates over 20.0 percent in 2006--Hawaii (24.7 percent),
New York (24.4 percent), Alaska (22.2 percent), and New Jersey (20.1 percent).
Hawaii and New York have recorded the highest union membership rates among all
states for 10 of the past 11 years.
   
                                  - 3 -   
   
   The largest numbers of union members lived in California (2.3 million)
and New York (2.0 million).  Just under half (7.5 million) of the 15.4
million union members in the U.S. lived in six states (California, 2.3
million; New York, 2.0 million; Illinois, 0.9 million; Michigan, 0.8
million; New Jersey, 0.8 million; and Pennsylvania, 0.7 million), though
these states accounted for about one-third of wage and salary employment
nationally.
   
   State union membership levels depend on both the employment level and
union membership rate.  Texas (with the second largest number of employed
wage and salary workers) had less than one-quarter as many union members as
New York (the third largest), despite having over 1.6 million more wage and
salary employees.  Similarly, Florida (with the fourth largest employment
level) and Minnesota (the twenty-first) had virtually the same number of
union members, even though Florida�s wage and salary employment level was
three times that of Minnesota.
   




                                  - 4 -

Technical Note


   The estimates in this release are obtained from the Current Population
Survey (CPS), which provides the basic information on the labor force,
employment, and unemployment.  The survey is conducted monthly for the
Bureau of Labor Statistics by the U.S. Census Bureau from a scientifically
selected national sample of about 60,000 households.  The union membership
and earnings data are tabulated from one-quarter of the CPS monthly sample
and are limited to wage and salary workers.  All self-employed workers are
excluded.
   
   Union membership data for 2006 are not strictly comparable with data
for 2005 and earlier years because of the introduction in January 2006 of
revised population controls used in the CPS.  The effect of the revised
population controls on the union membership estimates is unknown.  However,
the effect of the new controls on the monthly CPS estimates was to decrease
the December 2005 employment level by 123,000 and the unemployment level by
8,000.  The updated controls had little or no effect on unemployment rates
and other ratios.  For additional information, see "Adjustments to Household
Survey Population Estimates in January 2006" in the February 2005 issue of
Employment and Earnings, available on the Internet at http://www.bls.gov/
cps/cps06adj.pdf.
   
   Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired
individuals upon request.  Voice phone: 202-691-5200, TDD message referral
phone number: 1-800-877-8339.
   
Reliability of the estimates
   
   Statistics based on the CPS are subject to both sampling and nonsampling
error.  When a sample, rather than the entire population, is surveyed, there
is a chance that the sample estimates may differ from the "true" population
values they represent.  The exact difference, or sampling error, varies de-
pending upon the particular sample selected, and this variability is measured
by the standard error of the estimate.  There is about a 90-percent chance,
or level of confidence, that an estimate based on a sample will differ by no
more than 1.6 standard errors from the "true" population value because of
sampling error.  BLS analyses are generally conducted at the 90-percent level
of confidence.
   
   The CPS data also are affected by nonsampling error.  Nonsampling error
can occur for many reasons, including the failure to sample a segment of
the population, inability to obtain information for all respondents in the
sample, inability or unwillingness of respondents to provide correct infor-
mation, and errors made in the collection or processing of the data.
   
   For a full discussion of the reliability of data from the CPS and in-
formation on estimating standard errors, see the "Explanatory Notes and
Estimates of Error" section of Employment and Earnings.
   
                                  - 5 -

Definitions
   
   The principal definitions used in this release are described briefly
below.
   
   Union members.  Data refer to members of a labor union or an employee
association similar to a union.
   
   Represented by unions.  Data refer to union members, as well as workers
who have no union affiliation but whose jobs are covered by a union or an
employee association contract.
   
   Usual weekly earnings.  Data represent earnings before taxes and other
deductions and include any overtime pay, commissions, or tips usually
received (at the main job in the case of multiple jobholders).  Prior to
1994, respondents were asked how much they usually earned per week.  Since
January 1994, respondents have been asked to identify the easiest way for
them to report earnings (hourly, weekly, biweekly, twice monthly, monthly,
annually, other) and how much they usually earn in the reported time period.  
Earnings reported on a basis other than weekly are converted to a weekly 
equivalent.  The term "usual" is as perceived by the respondent.  If the 
respondent asks for a definition of usual, interviewers are instructed to 
define the term as more than half of the weeks worked during the past 4 or 
5 months.
   
   Median earnings.  The median is the amount which divides a given earnings 
distribution into two equal groups, one having earnings above the median and 
the other having earnings below the median.  The estimating procedure places
each reported or calculated weekly earnings value into $50-wide intervals
which are centered around multiples of $50.  The actual value is estimated
through the linear interpolation of the interval in which the median lies.
   
   Wage and salary workers.  Workers who receive wages, salaries, com-
missions, tips, payment in kind, or piece rates.  The group includes
employees in both the private and public sectors, but, for the purposes 
of the union membership and earnings series, excludes all self-employed
persons, regardless of whether or not their businesses are incorporated.
   
   Full-time workers.  Workers who usually work 35 hours or more per week
at their sole or principal job.
   
   Part-time workers.  Workers who usually work fewer than 35 hours per
week at their sole or principal job.
   
   Hispanic or Latino ethnicity.  Refers to persons who identified them-
selves in the enumeration process as being Spanish, Hispanic, or Latino.  
Persons whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any 
race.





     Table 1.  Union affiliation of employed wage and salary workers by selected characteristics

     (Numbers in thousands)
                                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                 
                                                                    2005                                    2006                 
                                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                 
                                                             Members of     Represented              Members of     Represented  
                                                             unions (1)     by unions (2)            unions (1)     by unions (2)
                    Characteristic                 Total                                   Total                                 
                                                    em-                                     em-                                  
                                                   ployed         Percent         Percent  ployed         Percent         Percent
                                                           Total     of    Total     of            Total     of    Total     of  
                                                                    em-             em-                     em-             em-  
                                                                   ployed          ployed                  ployed          ployed
                                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                 
                     AGE AND SEX                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                 
      Total, 16 years and over................... 125,889  15,685   12.5   17,223   13.7  128,237  15,359   12.0   16,860   13.1 
        16 to 24 years...........................  19,283     878    4.6    1,019    5.3   19,538     857    4.4      978    5.0 
        25 years and over........................ 106,606  14,808   13.9   16,204   15.2  108,699  14,502   13.3   15,883   14.6 
          25 to 34 years.........................  28,450   3,044   10.7    3,368   11.8   28,805   2,899   10.1    3,195   11.1 
          35 to 44 years.........................  30,654   4,211   13.7    4,579   14.9   30,526   3,997   13.1    4,356   14.3 
          45 to 54 years.........................  28,714   4,731   16.5    5,158   18.0   29,401   4,710   16.0    5,131   17.5 
          55 to 64 years.........................  15,158   2,496   16.5    2,732   18.0   16,095   2,568   16.0    2,832   17.6 
          65 years and over......................   3,631     325    8.9      366   10.1    3,872     328    8.5      370    9.5 
                                                                                                                                 
        Men, 16 years and over...................  65,466   8,870   13.5    9,597   14.7   66,811   8,657   13.0    9,360   14.0 
          16 to 24 years.........................   9,860     523    5.3      603    6.1   10,130     543    5.4      608    6.0 
          25 years and over......................  55,606   8,347   15.0    8,994   16.2   56,682   8,114   14.3    8,752   15.4 
            25 to 34 years.......................  15,559   1,754   11.3    1,915   12.3   15,677   1,650   10.5    1,793   11.4 
            35 to 44 years.......................  16,196   2,422   15.0    2,582   15.9   16,159   2,309   14.3    2,488   15.4 
            45 to 54 years.......................  14,421   2,658   18.4    2,849   19.8   14,867   2,617   17.6    2,807   18.9 
            55 to 64 years.......................   7,606   1,346   17.7    1,458   19.2    7,990   1,370   17.1    1,474   18.4 
            65 years and over....................   1,824     167    9.1      190   10.4    1,989     167    8.4      190    9.6 
                                                                                                                                 
        Women, 16 years and over.................  60,423   6,815   11.3    7,626   12.6   61,426   6,702   10.9    7,501   12.2 
          16 to 24 years.........................   9,423     354    3.8      417    4.4    9,408     315    3.3      370    3.9 
          25 years and over......................  51,000   6,461   12.7    7,210   14.1   52,018   6,388   12.3    7,131   13.7 
            25 to 34 years.......................  12,891   1,290   10.0    1,454   11.3   13,127   1,249    9.5    1,401   10.7 
            35 to 44 years.......................  14,457   1,790   12.4    1,997   13.8   14,368   1,687   11.7    1,867   13.0 
            45 to 54 years.......................  14,293   2,073   14.5    2,309   16.2   14,534   2,093   14.4    2,325   16.0 
            55 to 64 years.......................   7,552   1,150   15.2    1,274   16.9    8,106   1,198   14.8    1,358   16.8 
            65 years and over....................   1,806     158    8.8      176    9.8    1,883     160    8.5      180    9.5 
                                                                                                                                 
     RACE, HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY, AND SEX                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                 
       White, 16 years and over.................. 102,967  12,520   12.2   13,755   13.4  104,668  12,259   11.7   13,424   12.8 
         Men.....................................  54,462   7,275   13.4    7,858   14.4   55,459   7,115   12.8    7,668   13.8 
         Women...................................  48,505   5,245   10.8    5,897   12.2   49,209   5,144   10.5    5,756   11.7 
                                                                                                                                 
       Black or African American, 16 years and                                                                                   
        over.....................................  14,459   2,178   15.1    2,391   16.5   14,878   2,163   14.5    2,391   16.1 
         Men.....................................   6,603   1,062   16.1    1,166   17.7    6,788   1,056   15.6    1,158   17.1 
         Women...................................   7,857   1,115   14.2    1,225   15.6    8,090   1,107   13.7    1,233   15.2 
                                                                                                                                 
       Asian, 16 years and over..................   5,479     614   11.2      666   12.2    5,703     592   10.4      657   11.5 
         Men.....................................   2,881     314   10.9      337   11.7    3,015     286    9.5      316   10.5 
         Women...................................   2,598     299   11.5      329   12.7    2,688     306   11.4      340   12.7 
                                                                                                                                 
       Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, 16 years and                                                                                
        over.....................................  17,191   1,793   10.4    1,981   11.5   18,121   1,770    9.8    1,935   10.7 
         Men.....................................  10,324   1,093   10.6    1,185   11.5   10,842   1,064    9.8    1,144   10.6 
         Women...................................   6,866     700   10.2      796   11.6    7,279     706    9.7      791   10.9 
                                                                                                                                 
            FULL- OR PART-TIME STATUS (3)                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                 
       Full-time workers......................... 103,560  14,207   13.7   15,551   15.0  106,106  13,938   13.1   15,244   14.4 
       Part-time workers.........................  22,052   1,441    6.5    1,630    7.4   21,863   1,382    6.3    1,573    7.2 

       1 Data refer to members of a labor union or an employee association similar to a union.
       2 Data refer to members of a labor union or an employee association similar to a union as well as workers who report no
     union affiliation but whose jobs are covered by a union or an employee association contract.
       3 The distinction between full- and part-time workers is based on hours usually worked.  These data will not sum to totals
     because full- or part-time status on the principal job is not identifiable for a small number of multiple jobholders.
         NOTE:  Beginning in January 2006, data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey.  Estimates for
     the above race groups (white, black or African American, and Asian) do not sum to totals because data are not presented for
     all races.  In addition, persons whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race and, therefore, are
     classified by ethnicity as well as race.  Data refer to the sole or principal job of full- and part-time workers.  Excluded
     are all self-employed workers regardless of whether or not their businesses are incorporated.





     Table 2.  Median weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by union affiliation and selected characteristics
                                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                 
                                                                    2005                                    2006                 
                                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                 
                    Characteristic                           Members    Repre                        Members    Repre-           
                                                                of      sented     Non-                 of      sented     Non-  
                                                    Total     unions      by      union     Total     unions      by      union  
                                                               (1)      unions                         (1)      unions           
                                                                         (2)                                     (2)             
                                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                 
                     AGE AND SEX                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                 
      Total, 16 years and over...................    $651      $801      $795      $622      $671      $833      $827      $642  
        16 to 24 years...........................     397       502       502       392       409       526       523       404  
        25 years and over........................     696       820       815       669       718       850       845       691  
          25 to 34 years.........................     610       735       729       595       621       773       766       606  
          35 to 44 years.........................     731       844       837       708       748       853       849       728  
          45 to 54 years.........................     748       854       851       722       773       888       884       750  
          55 to 64 years.........................     742       852       851       716       765       882       883       741  
          65 years and over......................     569       679       683       551       583       675       667       573  
                                                                                                                                 
        Men, 16 years and over...................     722       857       855       692       743       887       885       717  
          16 to 24 years.........................     409       513       511       403       418       526       521       413  
          25 years and over......................     771       876       876       749       797       904       902       771  
            25 to 34 years.......................     644       763       760       624       661       831       822       640  
            35 to 44 years.......................     822       921       918       800       836       918       914       816  
            45 to 54 years.......................     853       911       912       831       897       936       939       883  
            55 to 64 years.......................     855       888       895       840       902       928       930       893  
            65 years and over....................     644       758       768       625       658       650       653       659  
                                                                                                                                 
        Women, 16 years and over.................     585       731       726       559       600       758       753       579  
          16 to 24 years.........................     381       484       487       377       395       527       529       391  
          25 years and over......................     612       743       738       593       627       768       763       607  
            25 to 34 years.......................     573       693       682       548       583       727       716       565  
            35 to 44 years.......................     621       740       735       603       645       759       755       626  
            45 to 54 years.......................     644       760       758       619       659       807       798       628  
            55 to 64 years.......................     639       795       785       610       658       819       822       627  
            65 years and over....................     492       610       599       480       510       690       678       495  
                                                                                                                                 
               RACE, HISPANIC OR LATINO                                                                                          
                  ETHNICITY, AND SEX                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                 
       White, 16 years and over..................     672       830       824       641       690       859       854       659  
         Men.....................................     743       884       884       714       761       909       907       735  
         Women...................................     596       749       743       576       609       777       772       588  
                                                                                                                                 
       Black or African American, 16 years and                                                                                   
        over.....................................     520       656       653       500       554       707       694       520  
         Men.....................................     559       689       682       523       591       745       734       557  
         Women...................................     499       632       630       478       519       665       656       502  
                                                                                                                                 
       Asian, 16 years and over..................     753       809       805       744       784       834       840       774  
         Men.....................................     825       819       817       827       882       838       852       888  
         Women...................................     665       789       785       643       699       828       824       681  
                                                                                                                                 
       Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, 16 years and                                                                                
        over.....................................     471       673       661       449       486       686       681       469  
         Men.....................................     489       713       704       473       505       732       724       490  
         Women...................................     429       609       606       414       440       607       614       420  

       1 Data refer to members of a labor union or an employee association similar to a union.
       2 Data refer to members of a labor union or an employee association similar to a union as well as workers who report no
     union affiliation but whose jobs are covered by a union or an employee association contract.
        NOTE:  Beginning in January 2006, data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey.  Estimates for
     the above race groups (white, black or African American, and Asian) do not sum to totals because data are not presented for
     all races. In addition, persons whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race and, therefore, are
     classified by ethnicity as well as race.  Data refer to the sole or principal job of full- and part-time workers. Excluded
     are all self-employed workers regardless of whether or not their businesses are incorporated.





     Table 3.  Union affiliation of employed wage and salary workers by occupation and industry

     (Numbers in thousands)
                                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                 
                                                                    2005                                    2006                 
                                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                 
                                                             Members of     Represented              Members of     Represented  
                                                             unions (1)     by unions (2)            unions (1)     by unions (2)
               Occupation and industry             Total                                   Total                                 
                                                    em-                                     em-                                  
                                                   ployed         Percent         Percent  ployed         Percent         Percent
                                                           Total     of    Total     of            Total     of    Total     of  
                                                                    em-             em-                     em-             em-  
                                                                   ployed          ployed                  ployed          ployed
                                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                 
                      OCCUPATION                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                 
     Management, professional, and related                                                                                       
      occupations................................  42,226   5,639   13.4    6,385   15.1   43,105   5,522   12.8    6,288   14.6 
         Management, business, and financial                                                                                     
          operations occupations.................  15,955     793    5.0      939    5.9   16,471     802    4.9      964    5.9 
             Management occupations..............  10,921     485    4.4      585    5.4   11,260     478    4.2      595    5.3 
             Business and financial operations                                                                                   
              occupations........................   5,034     308    6.1      354    7.0    5,210     324    6.2      369    7.1 
         Professional and related occupations....  26,271   4,845   18.4    5,447   20.7   26,635   4,721   17.7    5,324   20.0 
             Computer and mathematical                                                                                           
              occupations........................   3,067     142    4.6      172    5.6    3,069     133    4.3      172    5.6 
             Architecture and engineering                                                                                        
              occupations........................   2,593     221    8.5      259   10.0    2,669     197    7.4      236    8.9 
             Life, physical, and social science                                                                                  
              occupations........................   1,305     125    9.6      140   10.7    1,315     130    9.9      155   11.8 
             Community and social services                                                                                       
              occupations........................   2,100     346   16.5      376   17.9    2,099     327   15.6      356   17.0 
             Legal occupations...................   1,261      71    5.6       83    6.6    1,282      68    5.3       73    5.7 
             Education, training, and library                                                                                    
              occupations........................   7,813   3,006   38.5    3,354   42.9    7,888   2,942   37.3    3,287   41.7 
             Arts, design, entertainment, sports,                                                                                
              and media occupations..............   1,957     152    7.8      171    8.8    1,930     124    6.4      140    7.2 
             Healthcare practitioner and                                                                                         
              technical occupations..............   6,175     782   12.7      892   14.4    6,383     800   12.5      904   14.2 
     Service occupations.........................  21,074   2,446   11.6    2,659   12.6   21,569   2,460   11.4    2,658   12.3 
         Healthcare support occupations..........   2,971     286    9.6      317   10.7    2,999     312   10.4      340   11.3 
         Protective service occupations..........   2,843   1,051   37.0    1,109   39.0    2,919   1,012   34.7    1,067   36.6 
         Food preparation and serving related                                                                                    
          occupations............................   7,361     316    4.3      362    4.9    7,478     321    4.3      353    4.7 
         Building and grounds cleaning and                                                                                       
          maintenance occupations................   4,525     504   11.1      553   12.2    4,703     507   10.8      561   11.9 
         Personal care and service occupations...   3,373     288    8.5      317    9.4    3,471     307    8.9      337    9.7 
     Sales and office occupations................  32,541   2,385    7.3    2,671    8.2   32,986   2,319    7.0    2,573    7.8 
         Sales and related occupations...........  13,630     451    3.3      519    3.8   13,883     430    3.1      489    3.5 
         Office and administrative support                                                                                       
          occupations............................  18,911   1,934   10.2    2,152   11.4   19,103   1,889    9.9    2,084   10.9 
     Natural resources, construction, and                                                                                        
      maintenance occupations....................  12,907   2,129   16.5    2,238   17.3   13,366   2,138   16.0    2,248   16.8 
         Farming, fishing, and forestry                                                                                          
          occupations............................     898      35    3.9       38    4.3      880      31    3.5       33    3.7 
         Construction and extraction                                                                                             
          occupations............................   7,296   1,283   17.6    1,348   18.5    7,617   1,337   17.6    1,396   18.3 
         Installation, maintenance, and repair                                                                                   
          occupations............................   4,713     811   17.2      851   18.1    4,870     771   15.8      820   16.8 
     Production, transportation, and material                                                                                    
      moving occupations.........................  17,142   3,086   18.0    3,271   19.1   17,211   2,920   17.0    3,094   18.0 
         Production occupations..................   9,007   1,539   17.1    1,617   17.9    8,964   1,392   15.5    1,468   16.4 
         Transportation and material moving                                                                                      
          occupations............................   8,135   1,547   19.0    1,655   20.3    8,247   1,528   18.5    1,626   19.7 
                                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                 
                       INDUSTRY                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                 
     Private sector.............................. 105,508   8,255    7.8    8,962    8.5  107,846   7,981    7.4    8,688    8.1 
       Agriculture and related industries........   1,021      28    2.7       30    3.0    1,059      25    2.3       27    2.6 
       Nonagricultural industries................ 104,487   8,227    7.9    8,931    8.5  106,786   7,957    7.5    8,660    8.1 
          Mining.................................     600      48    8.0       57    9.5      632      48    7.5       56    8.8 
          Construction...........................   8,053   1,057   13.1    1,111   13.8    8,444   1,097   13.0    1,146   13.6 
          Manufacturing..........................  15,518   2,017   13.0    2,127   13.7   15,643   1,827   11.7    1,949   12.5 
              Durable goods......................   9,845   1,310   13.3    1,382   14.0   10,072   1,190   11.8    1,263   12.5 
              Nondurable goods...................   5,673     707   12.5      746   13.1    5,571     637   11.4      686   12.3 
          Wholesale and retail trade.............  18,989   1,021    5.4    1,122    5.9   19,245     957    5.0    1,023    5.3 
              Wholesale trade....................   4,017     236    5.9      259    6.4    4,100     201    4.9      215    5.2 
              Retail trade.......................  14,973     785    5.2      864    5.8   15,145     756    5.0      808    5.3 
          Transportation and utilities...........   5,212   1,252   24.0    1,309   25.1    5,299   1,227   23.2    1,287   24.3 
              Transportation and warehousing.....   4,379   1,024   23.4    1,071   24.4    4,459     991   22.2    1,042   23.4 
              Utilities..........................     833     228   27.4      239   28.6      840     237   28.2      245   29.1 
          Information (3)........................   2,934     398   13.6      422   14.4    3,105     372   12.0      404   13.0 
              Publishing, except Internet........     765      68    8.8       74    9.7      833      58    7.0       63    7.5 
              Motion pictures and sound                                                                                          
               recording.........................     277      42   15.0       43   15.5      296      30   10.3       32   10.6 
              Broadcasting, except Internet......     534      46    8.6       48    9.0      522      31    5.9       40    7.6 
              Telecommunications.................   1,096     234   21.4      248   22.6    1,183     245   20.7      261   22.1 
          Financial activities...................   8,619     195    2.3      238    2.8    8,841     168    1.9      206    2.3 
              Finance and insurance..............   6,304     102    1.6      132    2.1    6,503      92    1.4      123    1.9 
                   Finance.......................   4,114      59    1.4       77    1.9    4,308      52    1.2       73    1.7 
                   Insurance.....................   2,190      44    2.0       54    2.5    2,195      40    1.8       50    2.3 
              Real estate and rental and                                                                                         
               leasing...........................   2,315      92    4.0      107    4.6    2,338      77    3.3       82    3.5 
          Professional and business services.....  10,951     292    2.7      341    3.1   11,398     274    2.4      329    2.9 
              Professional and technical                                                                                         
               services..........................   6,468      98    1.5      120    1.9    6,601      90    1.4      116    1.8 
              Management, administrative, and                                                                                    
               waste services....................   4,483     194    4.3      221    4.9    4,798     184    3.8      213    4.4 
          Education and health services..........  17,357   1,434    8.3    1,632    9.4   17,853   1,483    8.3    1,694    9.5 
              Educational services...............   3,312     435   13.1      511   15.4    3,540     478   13.5      562   15.9 
              Health care and social                                                                                             
               assistance........................  14,045     999    7.1    1,121    8.0   14,313   1,005    7.0    1,132    7.9 
          Leisure and hospitality................  10,658     333    3.1      377    3.5   10,638     326    3.1      370    3.5 
              Arts, entertainment, and                                                                                           
               recreation........................   1,869     118    6.3      134    7.2    1,781     112    6.3      126    7.1 
              Accommodation and food services....   8,790     215    2.4      243    2.8    8,857     214    2.4      244    2.8 
                  Accommodation..................   1,459     122    8.3      130    8.9    1,422     131    9.2      141    9.9 
                  Food services and drinking                                                                                     
                   places........................   7,331      93    1.3      113    1.5    7,436      83    1.1      103    1.4 
          Other services (3).....................   5,596     181    3.2      194    3.5    5,689     177    3.1      198    3.5 
              Other services, except private                                                                                     
               households........................   4,799     175    3.7      188    3.9    4,873     172    3.5      191    3.9 
                                                                                                                                 
     Public sector...............................  20,381   7,430   36.5    8,262   40.5   20,392   7,378   36.2    8,172   40.1 
         Federal goverment.......................   3,427     954   27.8    1,134   33.1    3,381     960   28.4    1,139   33.7 
         State government........................   5,874   1,838   31.3    2,056   35.0    6,102   1,843   30.2    2,049   33.6 
         Local government........................  11,080   4,638   41.9    5,071   45.8   10,908   4,575   41.9    4,984   45.7 

       1 Data refer to members of a labor union or an employee association similar to a union.
       2 Data refer to members of a labor union or an employee association similar to a union as well as workers who report no
     union affiliation but whose jobs are covered by a union or an employee association contract.
       3 Includes other industries, not shown separately.
       NOTE:  Beginning in January 2006, data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey.  Data refer to
     the sole or principal job of full- and part-time workers.  Excluded are all self-employed workers regardless of whether or
     not their businesses are incorporated.





     Table 4.  Median weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by union affiliation, occupation, and industry
                                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                 
                                                                    2005                                    2006                 
                                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                 
               Occupation and industry                       Members    Repre-                        Members   Repre-           
                                                                of      sented     Non-                 of      sented     Non-  
                                                    Total     unions      by      union     Total     unions      by      union  
                                                               (1)      unions                         (1)      unions           
                                                                         (2)                                     (2)             
                                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                 
                      OCCUPATION                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                 
     Management, professional, and related                                                                                       
      occupations................................     $937      $942      $937      $937      $967      $966      $962      $968 
         Management, business, and financial                                                                                     
          operations occupations.................      997     1,015     1,029       995     1,045     1,042     1,060     1,044 
             Management occupations..............    1,083     1,137     1,146     1,076     1,127     1,144     1,154     1,125 
             Business and financial operations                                                                                   
              occupations........................      871       854       866       872       930       950       947       928 
         Professional and related occupations....      902       932       924       894       928       956       948       921 
             Computer and mathematical                                                                                           
              occupations........................    1,132     1,009     1,029     1,141     1,166     1,057     1,103     1,170 
             Architecture and engineering                                                                                        
              occupations........................    1,105     1,133     1,133     1,101     1,155     1,148     1,157     1,155 
             Life, physical, and social science                                                                                  
              occupations........................      965       978     1,011       959       984     1,114     1,086       977 
             Community and social services                                                                                       
              occupations........................      725       880       865       693       740       886       872       707 
             Legal occupations...................    1,052     1,147     1,155     1,042     1,144     1,422     1,415     1,136 
             Education, training, and library                                                                                    
              occupations........................      798       913       898       710       819       929       917       725 
             Arts, design, entertainment, sports,                                                                                
              and media occupations..............      819       983       925       808       841       968       964       823 
             Healthcare practitioner and                                                                                         
              technical occupations..............      878       932       932       867       905       995       979       889 
     Service occupations.........................      413       643       629       392       422       638       629       404 
         Healthcare support occupations..........      410       466       462       405       423       484       481       417 
         Protective service occupations..........      678       896       886       568       693       918       913       585 
         Food preparation and serving related                                                                                    
          occupations............................      356       439       442       350       371       484       482       366 
         Building and grounds cleaning and                                                                                       
          maintenance occupations................      394       528       518       378       406       524       520       393 
         Personal care and service occupations...      409       558       549       397       407       530       529       397 
     Sales and office occupations................      575       681       675       562       589       706       697       578 
         Sales and related occupations...........      622       623       625       622       628       671       656       627 
         Office and administrative support                                                                                       
          occupations............................      550       689       682       528       572       713       705       549 
     Natural resources, construction, and                                                                                        
      maintenance occupations....................      623       910       903       585       653       934       925       608 
         Farming, fishing, and forestry                                                                                          
          occupations............................      372       (3)       (3)       369       387       (3)       (3)       383 
         Construction and extraction                                                                                             
          occupations............................      604       913       903       554       619       941       933       582 
         Installation, maintenance, and repair                                                                                   
          occupations............................      705       915       913       666       742       931       922       709 
     Production, transportation, and material                                                                                    
      moving occupations.........................      540       709       704       510       557       741       733       519 
         Production occupations..................      538       698       693       511       559       730       723       525 
         Transportation and material moving                                                                                      
          occupations............................      543       721       717       508       556       752       743       512 

                                                                                                                                 
                       INDUSTRY                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                 
     Private sector..............................      625       757       752       615       645       792       785       631 
       Agriculture and related industries........      402       (3)       (3)       402       422       (3)       (3)       420 
       Nonagricultural industries................      629       758       753       617       648       793       786       634 
          Mining.................................      885       (3)       989       870       912       (3)     1,044       899 
          Construction...........................      619       933       926       590       642       969       956       610 
          Manufacturing..........................      676       722       719       667       702       755       753       692 
              Durable goods......................      704       751       747       695       729       785       780       719 
              Nondurable goods...................      624       676       672       618       650       694       697       640 
          Wholesale and retail trade.............      566       615       610       562       578       637       632       575 
              Wholesale trade....................      692       678       676       694       725       780       778       720 
              Retail trade.......................      515       590       585       513       520       583       582       518 
          Transportation and utilities...........      726       864       860       676       739       876       876       697 
              Transportation and warehousing.....      688       829       827       640       700       831       828       661 
              Utilities..........................      941       960       954       931       978     1,041     1,051       939 
          Information (4)........................      832       931       925       810       871       998       990       841 
              Publishing, except Internet........      755       860       867       740       848       (3)       950       830 
              Motion pictures and sound                                                                                          
              recording..........................      751       (3)       (3)       691       813       (3)       (3)       748 
              Broadcasting, except Internet......      749       (3)       (3)       738       737       (3)       (3)       722 
              Telecommunications.................      927       937       935       923       947       986       982       928 
          Financial activities...................      741       698       696       743       757       674       691       759 
              Finance and insurance..............      765       692       696       767       794       657       674       799 
                   Finance.......................      765       650       667       768       811       (3)       673       817 
                   Insurance.....................      764       (3)       729       766       767       (3)       (3)       769 
              Real estate and rental and                                                                                         
               leasing...........................      653       711       696       649       663       701       700       660 
          Professional and business services.....      739       663       673       743       749       744       752       749 
              Professional and technical                                                                                         
               services..........................      961       770       858       963       996       940       966       996 
              Management, administrative, and                                                                                    
               waste services....................      488       586       578       485       504       653       643       499 
          Education and health services..........      627       731       736       617       648       751       745       635 
              Educational services...............      737       818       809       718       750       816       806       737 
              Health care and social                                                                                             
               assistance........................      607       684       692       601       620       703       700       614 
          Leisure and hospitality................      409       513       510       405       417       538       533       412 
              Arts, entertainment, and                                                                                           
               recreation........................      521       652       618       515       545       617       604       537 
              Accommodation and food services....      388       487       486       384       399       515       515       395 
                  Accommodation..................      455       515       510       438       490       567       570       481 
                  Food services and drinking                                                                                     
                   places........................      372       400       406       372       382       480       481       381 
          Other services (4).....................      535       694       698       524       568       816       794       550 
              Other services, except private                                                                                     
               households........................      579       698       701       572       597       824       800       588 
                                                                                                                                 
     Public sector...............................      758       850       842       692       773       871       865       717 
         Federal goverment.......................      882       873       879       887       919       896       900       938 
         State government........................      733       802       798       684       746       835       824       699 
         Local government........................      738       858       844       633       754       876       868       656 

       1 Data refer to members of a labor union or an employee association similar to a union.
       2 Data refer to members of a labor union or an employee association similar to a union as well as workers who report no
     union affiliation but whose jobs are covered by a union or an employee association contract.
       3 Data not shown where base is less than 50,000.
       4 Includes other industries, not shown separately.
       NOTE:  Beginning in January 2006, data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey.  Data refer to
     the sole or principal job of full- and part-time workers. Excluded are all self-employed workers regardless of whether or
     not their businesses are incorporated.





     Table 5. Union affiliation of employed wage and salary workers by state
     
     (Numbers in thousands)
                                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                 
                                                                    2005                                    2006                 
                                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                 
                                                             Members of     Represented              Members of     Represented  
                                                             unions (1)    by unions (2)             unions (1)    by unions (2) 
                        State                      Total                                   Total                                 
                                                    em-                                     em-                                  
                                                   ployed         Percent         Percent  ployed         Percent         Percent
                                                           Total     of    Total     of            Total     of    Total     of  
                                                                    em-             em-                     em-             em-  
                                                                   ployed          ployed                  ployed          ployed
                                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                 
       Alabama...................................   1,909     195   10.2      223   11.7    1,930     170    8.8      194   10.0 
       Alaska....................................     275      63   22.8       66   24.1      280      62   22.2       67   23.8 
       Arizona...................................   2,366     145    6.1      181    7.7    2,584     197    7.6      250    9.7 
       Arkansas..................................   1,138      54    4.8       68    6.0    1,130      58    5.1       67    6.0 
       California................................  14,687   2,424   16.5    2,610   17.8   14,501   2,273   15.7    2,444   16.9 
       Colorado..................................   2,052     170    8.3      193    9.4    2,154     165    7.7      186    8.6 
       Connecticut...............................   1,550     247   15.9      263   17.0    1,591     247   15.6      263   16.5 
       Delaware..................................     386      46   11.8       50   12.9      396      43   10.8       45   11.4 
       District of Columbia......................     259      29   11.3       33   12.8      246      25   10.3       30   12.2 
       Florida...................................   7,389     401    5.4      532    7.2    7,676     397    5.2      497    6.5 
                                                                                                                                 
       Georgia...................................   3,765     190    5.0      226    6.0    3,974     176    4.4      230    5.8 
       Hawaii....................................     545     141   25.8      145   26.7      562     139   24.7      146   25.9 
       Idaho.....................................     606      31    5.2       38    6.3      620      37    6.0       45    7.2 
       Illinois..................................   5,473     927   16.9      965   17.6    5,684     931   16.4      979   17.2 
       Indiana...................................   2,789     346   12.4      368   13.2    2,787     334   12.0      362   13.0 
       Iowa......................................   1,369     157   11.5      185   13.5    1,424     161   11.3      199   14.0 
       Kansas....................................   1,210      85    7.0      115    9.5    1,236      99    8.0      115    9.3 
       Kentucky..................................   1,696     164    9.7      184   10.8    1,752     172    9.8      196   11.2 
       Louisiana.................................   1,778     114    6.4      132    7.4    1,676     107    6.4      121    7.2 
       Maine.....................................     582      69   11.9       79   13.6      584      69   11.9       79   13.5 
                                                                                                                                 
       Maryland..................................   2,530     337   13.3      379   15.0    2,614     342   13.1      386   14.8 
       Massachusetts.............................   2,886     402   13.9      431   14.9    2,859     414   14.5      438   15.3 
       Michigan..................................   4,288     880   20.5      916   21.4    4,299     842   19.6      879   20.4 
       Minnesota.................................   2,494     392   15.7      410   16.4    2,479     395   16.0      416   16.8 
       Mississippi...............................   1,089      77    7.1      105    9.7    1,065      60    5.6       78    7.3 
       Missouri..................................   2,532     290   11.5      319   12.6    2,610     284   10.9      310   11.9 
       Montana...................................     391      42   10.7       48   12.2      397      48   12.2       52   13.1 
       Nebraska..................................     830      69    8.3       79    9.5      831      66    7.9       79    9.5 
       Nevada....................................   1,051     145   13.8      158   15.1    1,124     167   14.8      191   17.0 
       New Hampshire.............................     627      65   10.4       72   11.5      620      63   10.1       70   11.3 
                                                                                                                                 
       New Jersey................................   3,868     791   20.5      838   21.7    3,827     770   20.1      825   21.6 
       New Mexico................................     777      63    8.1       83   10.7      796      62    7.8       92   11.5 
       New York..................................   8,008   2,090   26.1    2,201   27.5    8,115   1,981   24.4    2,060   25.4 
       North Carolina............................   3,631     107    2.9      143    3.9    3,810     126    3.3      155    4.1 
       North Dakota..............................     289      21    7.3       26    9.2      300      20    6.8       24    8.0 
       Ohio......................................   5,039     804   16.0      866   17.2    5,170     734   14.2      801   15.5 
       Oklahoma..................................   1,432      77    5.4       91    6.4    1,453      93    6.4      112    7.7 
       Oregon....................................   1,470     213   14.5      231   15.7    1,527     211   13.8      225   14.7 
       Pennsylvania..............................   5,456     753   13.8      818   15.0    5,457     745   13.6      802   14.7 
       Rhode Island..............................     494      79   15.9       83   16.8      498      76   15.3       79   16.0 
                                                                                                                                 
       South Carolina............................   1,739      40    2.3       58    3.3    1,775      59    3.3       74    4.2 
       South Dakota..............................     350      21    5.9       29    8.2      351      21    5.9       25    7.2 
       Tennessee.................................   2,368     128    5.4      156    6.6    2,550     153    6.0      174    6.8 
       Texas.....................................   9,485     506    5.3      590    6.2    9,751     476    4.9      576    5.9 
       Utah......................................   1,035      51    4.9       63    6.1    1,121      61    5.4       69    6.1 
       Vermont...................................     287      31   10.8       37   13.0      305      34   11.0       39   12.9 
       Virginia..................................   3,406     165    4.8      211    6.2    3,446     139    4.0      179    5.2 
       Washington................................   2,746     523   19.1      559   20.4    2,772     549   19.8      583   21.0 
       West Virginia.............................     688      99   14.4      107   15.5      710     101   14.2      110   15.5 
       Wisconsin.................................   2,551     410   16.1      438   17.2    2,587     386   14.9      415   16.1 
       Wyoming...................................     228      18    7.9       22    9.5      235      19    8.3       24   10.0 

         1 Data refer to members of a labor union or an employee association similar to a union.
         2 Data refer to members of a labor union or an employee association similar to a union as well as workers who report no
     union affiliation but whose jobs are covered by a union or an employee association contract.
         NOTE:  Beginning in January 2006, data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey.  Data refer to
     the sole or principal job of full- and part-time workers.  Excluded are all self-employed workers regardless of whether or
     not their businesses are incorporated.