Full text of Union Members : 1997, USDL 98-26 : 1997
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Internet address: http://stats.bls.gov/newsrels.htm Technical information: (202) 606-6378 USDL 98-26 Media contact: 606-5902 For release: 10:00 A.M. EST Friday, January 30, 1998 Union Members in 1997 The share of workers who were union members continued to decline in 1997, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Union members accounted for 14.1 percent of wage and salary employment in 1997, down from 14.5 percent in 1996. The union membership rate has fallen steadily from 20.1 percent in 1983, the first year for which comparable data are available. About three-fifths of the 16.1 million union members in 1997 were in private nonagricultural industries, where they constituted 9.8 percent of wage and salary employment. About 6.7 million union members worked in government (federal, state, and local), accounting for 37.2 percent of government employment. Membership by industry and occupation Among the private nonagricultural industries, transportation and public utilities had the highest unionization rate (26.0 percent), followed by construction (18.6 percent). Manufacturing and mining also had aboveaverage unionization rates, at 16.3 and 13.9 percent, respectively. In the other industry groups, the proportion of workers who were members of unions ranged from about 2.1 to 5.8 percent. (See table 3.) Among the occupational groups, the unionization rate was highest among those working in protective service jobs (39.9 percent). This group includes many government workers such as police officers and firefighters. Union membership rates also were high in professional specialty; precision production, craft, and repair; and operator, fabricator, and laborer occupations. Rates were lowest in sales and in farming, forestry, and fishing occupations, at 4.3 and 4.6 percent, respectively. (See table 3.) Demographic characteristics of union members Union membership was higher among men (16.3 percent) than women (11.6 percent) and higher among blacks (17.9 percent) than either whites (13.6 percent) or Hispanics (11.8 percent). Within these groups, black men continued to have the highest union membership rate (20.2 percent), while white and Hispanic women had the lowest rates (both about 11 percent). Workers ages 35 to 64 were more likely to be members of unions than either their younger or older counterparts. Full-time workers were more than twice as likely as part timers to be union members. (See table 1.) Union representation of nonmembers About 1.8 million wage and salary workers were represented at their work place by a union in 1997, while not being union members themselves. About half of these workers were employed in government. - 2 Earnings In 1997, union members had median usual weekly earnings of $640 compared with a median of $478 for wage and salary employees not represented by unions. (See table 2.) This 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 Kay E. Anderson, Philip M. Doyle, and Albert E. Schwenk, "Measuring union-nonunion earnings differences," Monthly Labor Review, June 1990, pp. 26-38.) The union-nonunion earnings ratio was greater for women than for men and for blacks and Hispanics than for whites. 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 Bureau of the Census from a scientifically selected national sample of about 50,000 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. Excluded are all self-employed workers. Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: 202-606-7828, TDD phone: 202-606-5897, TDD message referral phone number: 1-800-326-2577. Reliability In any sample survey, variations in the data can occur by chance because a sample, rather than the whole population, is surveyed. The standard error is a measure of such potential variation. The chances are about 68 out of 100 that an estimate from the survey differs from a figure that would be obtained from a complete census by less than one standard error. The chances are about 90 out of 100 that such a difference would be less than 1.6 standard errors. For a full discussion of the reliability of data from the CPS and information on estimating standard errors, see the "Explanatory Notes and Estimates of Error" section of the February 1994 and subsequent issues of Employment and Earnings. 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 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, commissions, 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 origin. Refers to persons who are of Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Central or South American, or other Hispanic origin or descent. Persons of Hispanic origin may be of any race; hence, they are included in the numbers for the white and black populations. Table 1. Union affiliation of employed wage and salary workers by selected characteristics (Numbers in thousands) 1996 Members of unions(1) Characteristic Total employed Total Percent of employed 1997 Represented by unions(2) Total Percent of employed Members of unions(1) Total employed Total Percent of employed Represented by unions(2) Total Percent of employed SEX AND AGE Total, 16 years and over................... 111,960 16 to 24 years............................ 18,106 25 years and over......................... 93,854 25 to 34 years........................... 29,564 35 to 44 years........................... 30,619 45 to 54 years........................... 21,641 55 to 64 years........................... 9,527 65 years and over........................ 2,503 16,269 991 15,278 3,536 5,132 4,626 1,795 189 14.5 5.5 16.3 12.0 16.8 21.4 18.8 7.5 18,158 1,146 17,012 3,994 5,716 5,106 1,984 211 16.2 6.3 18.1 13.5 18.7 23.6 20.8 8.4 114,533 18,571 95,962 29,408 31,461 22,714 9,871 2,509 16,110 968 15,142 3,434 4,987 4,645 1,894 182 14.1 5.2 15.8 11.7 15.9 20.5 19.2 7.3 17,923 1,140 16,783 3,870 5,571 5,092 2,045 205 15.6 6.1 17.5 13.2 17.7 22.4 20.7 8.2 Men, 16 years and over.................... 16 to 24 years........................... 25 years and over........................ 25 to 34 years.......................... 35 to 44 years.......................... 45 to 54 years.......................... 55 to 64 years.......................... 65 years and over....................... 58,473 9,392 49,080 15,930 15,921 10,936 4,978 1,315 9,859 627 9,232 2,205 3,100 2,739 1,079 109 16.9 6.7 18.8 13.8 19.5 25.0 21.7 8.3 10,761 709 10,052 2,434 3,368 2,960 1,166 124 18.4 7.5 20.5 15.3 21.2 27.1 23.4 9.5 59,825 9,666 50,159 15,832 16,430 11,471 5,101 1,324 9,763 612 9,150 2,132 3,068 2,718 1,130 103 16.3 6.3 18.2 13.5 18.7 23.7 22.1 7.8 10,619 691 9,928 2,359 3,346 2,908 1,198 118 17.7 7.1 19.8 14.9 20.4 25.4 23.5 8.9 Women, 16 years and over.................. 16 to 24 years........................... 25 years and over........................ 25 to 34 years.......................... 35 to 44 years.......................... 45 to 54 years.......................... 55 to 64 years.......................... 65 years and over....................... 53,488 8,714 44,773 13,634 14,698 10,705 4,549 1,187 6,410 364 6,046 1,331 2,032 1,887 716 80 12.0 4.2 13.5 9.8 13.8 17.6 15.7 6.7 7,397 437 6,960 1,560 2,349 2,146 818 87 13.8 5.0 15.5 11.4 16.0 20.0 18.0 7.3 54,708 8,906 45,802 13,575 15,030 11,242 4,770 1,184 6,347 355 5,992 1,302 1,919 1,927 764 80 11.6 4.0 13.1 9.6 12.8 17.1 16.0 6.7 7,304 449 6,855 1,512 2,225 2,184 847 87 13.4 5.0 15.0 11.1 14.8 19.4 17.8 7.3 White, 16 years and over.................. Men..................................... Women................................... 94,306 49,961 44,345 13,232 8,216 5,016 14.0 16.4 11.3 14,761 8,961 5,800 15.7 17.9 13.1 96,104 50,941 45,163 13,088 8,171 4,917 13.6 16.0 10.9 14,538 8,859 5,679 15.1 17.4 12.6 Black, 16 years and over.................. Men..................................... Women................................... 12,909 6,031 6,878 2,441 1,303 1,138 18.9 21.6 16.5 2,733 1,428 1,305 21.2 23.7 19.0 13,346 6,201 7,145 2,394 1,251 1,143 17.9 20.2 16.0 2,688 1,378 1,309 20.1 22.2 18.3 Hispanic origin, 16 years and over........ Men..................................... Women................................... 10,800 6,455 4,345 1,394 881 513 12.9 13.7 11.8 1,573 971 602 14.6 15.0 13.9 11,881 7,153 4,728 1,407 904 503 11.8 12.6 10.6 1,602 1,023 579 13.5 14.3 12.2 90,918 20,810 14,762 1,477 16.2 7.1 16,429 1,697 18.1 8.2 93,578 20,710 14,619 1,449 15.6 7.0 16,227 1,653 17.3 8.0 RACE, HISPANIC ORIGIN, AND SEX FULL- OR PART-TIME STATUS(3) Full-time workers......................... Part-time workers......................... 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. Beginning in 1994, 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: Data refer to the sole or principal job of full- and part-time workers. Excluded are self-employed workers whose businesses are incorporated although they technically qualify as wage and salary workers. Detail for the above race and Hispanic-origin groups will not sum to totals because data for the "other races" group are not presented and Hispanics are included in both the white and black population groups. Beginning in January 1997, data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey. Table 2. Median weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by union affiliation and selected characteristics 1996 Characteristic Total 1997 Members Repreof sented unionsby (1) unions(2) Nonunion Total Members Repreof sented unionsby (1) unions(2) Nonunion SEX AND AGE Total, 16 years and over................... 16 to 24 years............................ 25 years and over......................... 25 to 34 years........................... 35 to 44 years........................... 45 to 54 years........................... 55 to 64 years........................... 65 years and over........................ $490 298 520 463 559 594 535 384 $615 371 625 554 636 687 620 510 $610 362 621 548 632 686 616 510 $462 294 498 447 530 552 505 367 $503 306 540 481 579 607 558 393 $640 385 655 579 675 704 661 614 $632 384 648 572 666 697 657 609 $478 302 511 466 548 578 512 374 Men, 16 years and over.................... 16 to 24 years........................... 25 years and over........................ 25 to 34 years.......................... 35 to 44 years.......................... 45 to 54 years.......................... 55 to 64 years.......................... 65 years and over....................... 557 307 599 499 632 698 643 477 653 375 669 591 683 718 667 589 651 369 668 587 683 721 664 593 520 303 580 485 617 682 633 424 579 317 615 515 651 713 669 452 683 402 697 607 712 744 702 677 679 404 693 603 708 741 701 672 539 313 595 503 630 698 649 415 Women, 16 years and over.................. 16 to 24 years........................... 418 284 549 358 543 339 398 280 431 292 577 353 568 351 411 289 25 years and over........................ 25 to 34 years.......................... 35 to 44 years.......................... 45 to 54 years.......................... 55 to 64 years.......................... 65 years and over....................... 444 415 463 481 420 334 560 497 561 620 524 417 555 495 556 616 523 413 420 405 439 445 395 321 462 427 482 495 433 348 587 521 592 627 582 (3) 581 514 585 620 575 586 437 416 461 465 408 324 White, 16 years and over.................. Men..................................... Women................................... 506 580 428 635 675 572 630 673 564 480 544 408 519 595 444 663 699 595 654 695 587 494 569 421 Black, 16 years and over.................. Men..................................... Women................................... 387 412 362 507 526 485 502 522 480 356 380 336 400 432 375 533 577 504 523 573 496 371 396 349 Hispanic origin, 16 years and over........ Men..................................... Women................................... 339 356 316 484 511 436 482 511 433 319 330 305 351 371 318 506 538 440 501 526 430 331 348 309 RACE, HISPANIC ORIGIN, AND SEX 1 2 who 3 Data refer to members of a labor union or an employee association similar to a union. Data refer to members of a labor union or an employee association similar to a union as well as workers report no union affiliation but whose jobs are covered by a union or an employee association contract. Data not shown where base is less than 50,000. NOTE: Data refer to the sole or principal job of full-time workers. Excluded are self-employed workers whose businesses are incorporated although they technically qualify as wage and salary workers. Detail for the above race and Hispanic-origin groups will not sum to totals because data for the "other races" group are not presented and Hispanics are included in both the white and black population groups. Beginning in January 1997, data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey. Table 3. Union affiliation of employed wage and salary workers by occupation and industry (Numbers in thousands) 1996 Members of unions(1) 1997 Represented by unions(2) Members of unions(1) Represented by unions(2) Occupation and industry Total employed Total Percent of employed Total Percent of employed Total employed Total Percent of employed Total Percent of employed OCCUPATION Managerial and professional specialty....... Executive, administrative, and managerial. Professional specialty.................... 30,942 14,263 16,679 4,196 785 3,410 13.6 5.5 20.4 4,977 1,005 3,972 16.1 7.0 23.8 31,946 14,908 17,037 4,208 763 3,445 13.2 5.1 20.2 4,951 959 3,992 15.5 6.4 23.4 Technical, sales, and administrative support Technicians and related support........... Sales occupations......................... Administrative support, including clerical 34,187 3,828 12,658 17,701 3,231 409 541 2,281 9.5 10.7 4.3 12.9 3,742 492 616 2,634 10.9 12.8 4.9 14.9 34,796 4,111 13,055 17,631 3,158 427 559 2,172 9.1 10.4 4.3 12.3 3,648 501 659 2,488 10.5 12.2 5.0 14.1 Service occupations......................... Protective service........................ Service, except protective service........ 15,897 2,154 13,743 2,103 852 1,251 13.2 39.5 9.1 2,331 909 1,421 14.7 42.2 10.3 16,204 2,248 13,956 2,141 897 1,244 13.2 39.9 8.9 2,356 965 1,391 14.5 42.9 10.0 Precision production, craft, and repair..... 11,615 2,648 22.8 2,804 24.1 12,069 2,723 22.6 2,864 23.7 Operators, fabricators, and laborers........ Machine operators, assemblers, and inspectors.................................. Transportation and material moving occupations................................. Handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and laborers.................................... 17,428 4,000 23.0 4,201 24.1 17,629 3,791 21.5 4,008 22.7 7,584 1,752 23.1 1,838 24.2 7,717 1,690 21.9 1,764 22.9 4,862 1,243 25.6 1,313 27.0 4,931 1,199 24.3 1,279 25.9 4,981 1,005 20.2 1,050 21.1 4,981 901 18.1 964 19.4 Farming, forestry, and fishing.............. 1,892 92 4.9 104 5.5 1,890 88 4.6 97 5.1 INDUSTRY Agricultural wage and salary workers........ Private nonagricultural wage and salary workers..................................... Mining.................................... Construction.............................. 1,710 32 1.9 37 2.2 1,690 36 2.1 40 2.4 92,059 538 5,387 9,385 76 994 10.2 14.1 18.5 10,293 81 1,033 11.2 15.0 19.2 94,705 607 5,739 9,327 84 1,067 9.8 13.9 18.6 10,215 87 1,118 10.8 14.3 19.5 Manufacturing............................. Durable goods........................... 19,653 11,642 3,387 2,157 17.2 18.5 3,603 2,282 18.3 19.6 19,961 11,908 3,253 2,090 16.3 17.5 3,441 2,198 17.2 18.5 Nondurable goods........................ 8,011 1,230 15.4 1,320 16.5 8,053 1,164 14.5 1,243 15.4 Transportation and public utilities....... Transportation.......................... Communications and public utilities..... 6,623 4,006 2,617 1,757 1,080 677 26.5 27.0 25.9 1,873 1,136 737 28.3 28.4 28.2 6,949 4,212 2,737 1,804 1,118 686 26.0 26.5 25.1 1,909 1,177 731 27.5 27.9 26.7 Wholesale and retail trade................ Wholesale trade......................... Retail trade............................ 23,638 4,357 19,280 1,331 271 1,059 5.6 6.2 5.5 1,471 292 1,179 6.2 6.7 6.1 23,676 4,296 19,379 1,315 251 1,065 5.6 5.8 5.5 1,469 284 1,186 6.2 6.6 6.1 Finance, insurance, and real estate....... Services.................................. 6,863 29,357 168 1,672 2.4 5.7 210 2,024 3.1 6.9 7,070 30,704 155 1,647 2.2 5.4 199 1,993 2.8 6.5 Government workers.......................... Federal................................... State..................................... Local..................................... 18,210 3,284 5,132 9,795 6,854 1,040 1,566 4,249 37.6 31.7 30.5 43.4 7,830 1,277 1,810 4,743 43.0 38.9 35.3 48.4 18,147 3,217 5,031 9,899 6,747 1,030 1,485 4,232 37.2 32.0 29.5 42.7 7,668 1,266 1,679 4,723 42.3 39.4 33.4 47.7 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. NOTE: Data refer to the sole or principal job of full- and part-time workers. Excluded are self-employed workers whose businesses are incorporated although they technically qualify as wage and salary workers. Beginning in January 1997, data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey. Table 4. Median weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by union affiliation, occupation, and industry 1996 Occupation and industry Total OCCUPATION Members Repreof sented unionsby (1) unions(2) 1997 Nonunion Total Members Repreof sented unionsby (1) unions(2) Nonunion Managerial and professional specialty....... Executive, administrative, and managerial. Professional specialty.................... $718 699 730 $758 742 762 $749 745 750 $708 694 721 $738 725 750 $776 757 782 $766 752 769 $731 721 742 Technical, sales, and administrative support Technicians and related support........... Sales occupations......................... Administrative support, including clerical 441 573 474 405 532 664 451 524 524 661 459 516 427 554 475 389 456 582 482 419 550 677 467 545 541 675 469 534 441 566 483 404 Service occupations......................... Protective service........................ Service, except protective service........ 305 538 283 490 693 379 484 686 379 282 413 271 313 550 293 516 724 398 505 713 393 293 418 283 Precision production, craft, and repair..... 540 703 698 494 548 724 718 501 Operators, fabricators, and laborers........ Machine operators, assemblers, and inspectors.................................. Transportation and material moving occupations................................. Handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and laborers.................................... 391 528 522 353 401 572 561 365 380 512 508 345 390 533 524 356 476 610 601 425 498 658 642 451 330 481 477 308 329 509 506 310 Farming, forestry, and fishing.............. 294 439 423 288 295 505 475 290 INDUSTRY Agricultural wage and salary workers........ Private nonagricultural wage and salary workers..................................... Mining.................................... Construction.............................. 306 (3) (3) 305 306 (3) (3) 305 475 693 504 $584 698 748 $579 699 742 458 690 464 490 680 518 $610 717 771 $603 717 760 476 668 484 Manufacturing............................. Durable goods........................... Nondurable goods........................ 507 533 466 560 588 510 558 587 507 494 517 453 517 548 484 595 619 536 592 616 529 503 523 470 Transportation and public utilities....... Transportation.......................... Communications and public utilities..... 596 527 693 680 656 707 676 649 705 555 491 684 617 573 709 718 702 746 714 697 743 580 513 690 Wholesale and retail trade................ Wholesale trade......................... Retail trade............................ 380 503 343 450 566 408 444 551 408 375 500 338 391 525 352 457 545 419 451 536 415 387 524 347 Finance, insurance, and real estate....... Services.................................. 521 456 534 501 533 498 520 451 546 475 487 517 501 512 548 470 Government workers.......................... Federal................................... State..................................... Local..................................... 592 672 557 580 657 677 610 671 651 679 605 661 518 663 514 473 605 684 584 592 681 689 628 697 671 687 621 682 530 678 540 479 1 2 who 3 Data refer to members of a labor union or an employee association similar to a union. Data refer to members of a labor union or an employee association similar to a union as well as workers report no union affiliation but whose jobs are covered by a union or an employee association contract. Data not shown where base is less than 50,000. NOTE: Data refer to the sole or principal job of full-time workers. Excluded are self-employed workers whose businesses are incorporated although they technically qualify as wage and salary workers. Beginning in January 1997, data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey.