Full text of 1998 : Text File, USDL 99-21
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Technical information: (202) 606-6378 USDL 99-21
For release: 10:00 A.M. EST
Media contact: 606-5902 Monday, January 25, 1999
Union Members in 1998
The share of wage and salary workers who were union members averaged
13.9 percent in 1998 as compared with 14.1 percent a year earlier, the U.S.
Department of Labor�s Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. The
number of union members was little changed at 16.2 million. The union
membership rate has fallen from 20.1 percent in 1983, the first year for
which comparable data are available. Some highlights from the 1998 data
are:
--About three-fifths of the 16.2 million union members were in private
nonagricultural industries. About two-fifths worked in federal, state,
or local government.
--Among occupational groups, the unionization rate was highest among
workers in protective service, which includes police officers and
firefighters.
--Men were more likely to be union members than were women.
--Median weekly earnings for union members who work full time were about a
third higher than the median for nonunion workers.
Membership by industry and occupation
In 1998, government workers continued to have a much higher
unionization rate than their private sector counterparts, 37.5 percent
versus 9.5 percent. Workers in local government were the most likely to be
unionized, at 43.8 percent. The union membership rate for government
workers has been fairly steady since 1983, while rates have decreased in
all major private nonagricultural industries. Among the private
nonagricultural industries, the highest union membership rates were in
communications and public utilities (26.0 percent) and in transportation
(25.7 percent). Other industries that had higher-than-average unionization
rates in 1998 were construction (17.8 percent) and manufacturing (15.8
percent). Of the nonagricultural industries, finance, insurance, and real
estate had the smallest proportion of workers who were union members
(2.0 percent). (See table 3.)
Among the occupational groups, protective service had the highest
unionization rate (41.3 percent). This group includes many government
workers such as police officers and firefighters. Union membership rates
also were higher than average for precision production, craft, and repair
workers (22.1 percent); operators, fabricators, and laborers (21.3
percent); and professional specialty occupations (19.5 percent). Rates
were lowest in sales and in farming, forestry, and fishing occupations,
4.1 and 4.6 percent, respectively. (See table 3.)
- 2 -
Demographic characteristics of union members
Union membership was higher among men (16.2 percent) than women
(11.4 percent), as has been the case since 1983. However, since the rates
for men have declined faster than those for women, the gap in unionization
rates between the sexes has been closing. (See table 1.)
A higher percentage of blacks were members of unions (17.7 percent)
than whites (13.5 percent) and Hispanics (11.9 percent). Among these
groups, black men continued to have the highest union membership rate
(20.7 percent), while white and Hispanic women continued to have the lowest
rates (10.8 and 10.6 percent, respectively). Workers ages 35 to 64 were more
likely to be members of unions than their younger or older counterparts.
Full-time workers were nearly 2 and 1/2 times as likely as part timers to
be union members. (See table 1.)
Union representation of nonmembers
About 1.7 million wage and salary workers were represented at their
work place by a union in 1998, while not being union members themselves.
(See table 1.) A little more than half of these workers were employed in
government. (See table 3.)
Earnings
In 1998, union members had median usual weekly earnings of $659
compared with a median of $499 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 Kay E. Anderson, Philip M. Doyle, and Albert E.
Schwenk, "Measuring union-nonunion earnings differences," Monthly Labor
Review, June 1990, pp. 26-38.)
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 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 depending 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
information, and errors made in the collection or processing of the data.
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)
1997 1998
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
SEX AND AGE
Total, 16 years and over................... 114,533 16,110 14.1 17,923 15.6 116,730 16,211 13.9 17,918 15.4
16 to 24 years............................ 18,571 968 5.2 1,140 6.1 19,164 1,014 5.3 1,151 6.0
25 years and over......................... 95,962 15,142 15.8 16,783 17.5 97,566 15,198 15.6 16,767 17.2
25 to 34 years........................... 29,408 3,434 11.7 3,870 13.2 29,121 3,332 11.4 3,711 12.7
35 to 44 years........................... 31,461 4,987 15.9 5,571 17.7 31,865 5,013 15.7 5,511 17.3
45 to 54 years........................... 22,714 4,645 20.5 5,092 22.4 23,579 4,737 20.1 5,220 22.1
55 to 64 years........................... 9,871 1,894 19.2 2,045 20.7 10,427 1,923 18.4 2,110 20.2
65 years and over........................ 2,509 182 7.3 205 8.2 2,574 193 7.5 214 8.3
Men, 16 years and over.................... 59,825 9,763 16.3 10,619 17.7 60,973 9,850 16.2 10,638 17.4
16 to 24 years........................... 9,666 612 6.3 691 7.1 9,927 637 6.4 719 7.2
25 years and over........................ 50,159 9,150 18.2 9,928 19.8 51,046 9,213 18.0 9,919 19.4
25 to 34 years.......................... 15,832 2,132 13.5 2,359 14.9 15,656 2,112 13.5 2,301 14.7
35 to 44 years.......................... 16,430 3,068 18.7 3,346 20.4 16,768 3,055 18.2 3,264 19.5
45 to 54 years.......................... 11,471 2,718 23.7 2,908 25.4 11,874 2,771 23.3 2,982 25.1
55 to 64 years.......................... 5,101 1,130 22.1 1,198 23.5 5,404 1,177 21.8 1,265 23.4
65 years and over....................... 1,324 103 7.8 118 8.9 1,343 98 7.3 108 8.0
Women, 16 years and over.................. 54,708 6,347 11.6 7,304 13.4 55,757 6,362 11.4 7,280 13.1
16 to 24 years........................... 8,906 355 4.0 449 5.0 9,237 377 4.1 432 4.7
25 years and over........................ 45,802 5,992 13.1 6,855 15.0 46,520 5,985 12.9 6,848 14.7
25 to 34 years.......................... 13,575 1,302 9.6 1,512 11.1 13,464 1,219 9.1 1,410 10.5
35 to 44 years.......................... 15,030 1,919 12.8 2,225 14.8 15,097 1,958 13.0 2,248 14.9
45 to 54 years.......................... 11,242 1,927 17.1 2,184 19.4 11,705 1,967 16.8 2,238 19.1
55 to 64 years.......................... 4,770 764 16.0 847 17.8 5,023 746 14.9 845 16.8
65 years and over....................... 1,184 80 6.7 87 7.3 1,231 95 7.7 106 8.6
RACE, HISPANIC ORIGIN, AND SEX
White, 16 years and over.................. 96,104 13,088 13.6 14,538 15.1 97,531 13,118 13.5 14,460 14.8
Men..................................... 50,941 8,171 16.0 8,859 17.4 51,700 8,166 15.8 8,788 17.0
Women................................... 45,163 4,917 10.9 5,679 12.6 45,831 4,952 10.8 5,673 12.4
Black, 16 years and over.................. 13,346 2,394 17.9 2,688 20.1 13,894 2,460 17.7 2,739 19.7
Men..................................... 6,201 1,251 20.2 1,378 22.2 6,452 1,337 20.7 1,458 22.6
Women................................... 7,145 1,143 16.0 1,309 18.3 7,443 1,123 15.1 1,282 17.2
Hispanic origin, 16 years and over........ 11,881 1,407 11.8 1,602 13.5 12,374 1,471 11.9 1,634 13.2
Men..................................... 7,153 904 12.6 1,023 14.3 7,360 937 12.7 1,017 13.8
Women................................... 4,728 503 10.6 579 12.2 5,015 534 10.6 617 12.3
FULL- OR PART-TIME STATUS(3)
Full-time workers......................... 93,578 14,619 15.6 16,227 17.3 95,595 14,825 15.5 16,323 17.1
Part-time workers......................... 20,710 1,449 7.0 1,653 8.0 20,862 1,354 6.5 1,559 7.5
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 all self-employed
workers regardless of whether or not their businesses are incorporated. 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 1998, data reflect new composite estimation procedures and 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
1997 1998
Characteristic Members Repre- Members Repre-
Total of sented Non- Total of sented Non-
unions(1) by union unions(1) by union
unions(2) unions(2)
SEX AND AGE
Total, 16 years and over................... $503 $640 $632 $478 $523 $659 $653 $499
16 to 24 years............................ 306 385 384 302 319 415 410 315
25 years and over......................... 540 655 648 511 572 673 667 537
25 to 34 years........................... 481 579 572 466 502 595 591 489
35 to 44 years........................... 579 675 666 548 597 683 678 576
45 to 54 years........................... 607 704 697 578 620 716 712 592
55 to 64 years........................... 558 661 657 512 592 697 692 560
65 years and over........................ 393 614 609 374 405 610 597 383
Men, 16 years and over.................... 579 683 679 539 598 699 696 573
16 to 24 years........................... 317 402 404 313 334 430 424 326
25 years and over........................ 615 697 693 595 639 712 709 617
25 to 34 years.......................... 515 607 603 503 544 618 615 524
35 to 44 years.......................... 651 712 708 630 677 722 719 660
45 to 54 years.......................... 713 744 741 698 732 755 755 719
55 to 64 years.......................... 669 702 701 649 699 738 737 674
65 years and over....................... 452 677 672 415 482 657 659 445
Women, 16 years and over.................. 431 577 568 411 456 596 593 430
16 to 24 years........................... 292 353 351 289 305 389 382 301
25 years and over........................ 462 587 581 437 485 605 602 463
25 to 34 years.......................... 427 521 514 416 451 542 542 439
35 to 44 years.......................... 482 592 585 461 498 605 605 479
45 to 54 years.......................... 495 627 620 465 516 651 645 488
55 to 64 years.......................... 433 582 575 408 476 602 596 448
65 years and over....................... 348 (3) 586 324 350 548 522 329
RACE, HISPANIC ORIGIN, AND SEX
White, 16 years and over.................. 519 $663 654 494 545 683 678 513
Men..................................... 595 699 695 569 615 719 716 591
Women................................... 444 595 587 421 468 610 607 443
Black, 16 years and over.................. 400 533 523 371 426 578 572 398
Men..................................... 432 577 573 396 468 597 592 424
Women................................... 375 504 496 349 400 537 533 376
Hispanic origin, 16 years and over........ 351 506 501 331 370 540 541 350
Men..................................... 371 538 526 348 390 585 584 367
Women................................... 318 440 430 309 337 478 481 322
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.
NOTE: Data refer to the sole or principal job of full-time workers. Excluded are all self-employed workers
regardlesses of whether or not their businesses are incorporated. 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 1998, data reflect new composite estimation procedures and 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)
1997 1998
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
Managerial and professional specialty....... 31,946 4,208 13.2 4,951 15.5 33,102 4,252 12.8 5,015 15.2
Executive, administrative, and managerial. 14,908 763 5.1 959 6.4 15,473 812 5.2 1,017 6.6
Professional specialty.................... 17,037 3,445 20.2 3,992 23.4 17,629 3,440 19.5 3,998 22.7
Technical, sales, and administrative support 34,796 3,158 9.1 3,648 10.5 35,379 3,239 9.2 3,677 10.4
Technicians and related support........... 4,111 427 10.4 501 12.2 4,150 433 10.4 498 12.0
Sales occupations......................... 13,055 559 4.3 659 5.0 13,378 544 4.1 620 4.6
Administrative support, including clerical 17,631 2,172 12.3 2,488 14.1 17,851 2,262 12.7 2,558 14.3
Service occupations......................... 16,204 2,141 13.2 2,356 14.5 16,594 2,209 13.3 2,398 14.5
Protective service........................ 2,248 897 39.9 965 42.9 2,399 991 41.3 1,048 43.7
Service, except protective service........ 13,956 1,244 8.9 1,391 10.0 14,195 1,218 8.6 1,350 9.5
Precision production, craft, and repair..... 12,069 2,723 22.6 2,864 23.7 12,274 2,708 22.1 2,834 23.1
Operators, fabricators, and laborers........ 17,629 3,791 21.5 4,008 22.7 17,443 3,713 21.3 3,894 22.3
Machine operators, assemblers, and
inspectors.................................. 7,717 1,690 21.9 1,764 22.9 7,498 1,603 21.4 1,672 22.3
Transportation and material moving
occupations................................. 4,931 1,199 24.3 1,279 25.9 4,935 1,204 24.4 1,267 25.7
Handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and
laborers.................................... 4,981 901 18.1 964 19.4 5,010 906 18.1 956 19.1
Farming, forestry, and fishing.............. 1,890 88 4.6 97 5.1 1,938 90 4.6 100 5.2
INDUSTRY
Private wage and salary workers............. 96,386 9,363 9.7 10,255 10.6 98,329 9,306 9.5 10,104 10.3
Agriculture(3)............................ 1,681 36 2.2 40 2.4 1,739 26 1.5 31 1.8
Nonagricultural industries................ 94,705 9,327 9.8 10,215 10.8 96,590 9,280 9.6 10,073 10.4
Mining.................................. 607 84 13.9 87 14.3 589 72 12.2 79 13.4
Construction............................ 5,739 1,067 18.6 1,118 19.5 5,946 1,056 17.8 1,093 18.4
Manufacturing........................... 19,961 3,253 16.3 3,441 17.2 19,763 3,127 15.8 3,315 16.8
Durable goods......................... 11,908 2,090 17.5 2,198 18.5 11,999 1,990 16.6 2,097 17.5
Nondurable goods...................... 8,053 1,164 14.5 1,243 15.4 7,763 1,138 14.7 1,218 15.7
Transportation and public utilities..... 6,949 1,804 26.0 1,909 27.5 7,147 1,843 25.8 1,931 27.0
Transportation........................ 4,212 1,118 26.5 1,177 27.9 4,316 1,108 25.7 1,156 26.8
Communications and public utilities... 2,737 686 25.1 731 26.7 2,831 735 26.0 775 27.4
Wholesale and retail trade.............. 23,676 1,315 5.6 1,469 6.2 24,230 1,283 5.3 1,387 5.7
Wholesale trade....................... 4,296 251 5.8 284 6.6 4,425 259 5.9 275 6.2
Retail trade.......................... 19,379 1,065 5.5 1,186 6.1 19,805 1,024 5.2 1,113 5.6
Finance, insurance, and real estate..... 7,070 155 2.2 199 2.8 7,420 150 2.0 195 2.6
Services................................ 30,704 1,647 5.4 1,993 6.5 31,493 1,750 5.6 2,073 6.6
Government workers.......................... 18,147 6,747 37.2 7,668 42.3 18,401 6,905 37.5 7,815 42.5
Federal................................... 3,217 1,030 32.0 1,266 39.4 3,269 1,105 33.8 1,299 39.7
State..................................... 5,031 1,485 29.5 1,679 33.4 5,150 1,431 27.8 1,667 32.4
Local..................................... 9,899 4,232 42.7 4,723 47.7 9,982 4,370 43.8 4,849 48.6
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 for 1997 have been corrected.
NOTE: 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. Beginning in January 1998, data reflect new
composite estimation procedures and revised controls used in the household survey.
Table 4. Median weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by union affiliation, occupation, and industry
1997 1998
Occupation and industry Members Repre- Members Repre-
Total of sented Non- Total of sented Non-
unions(1) by union unions(1) by union
unions(2) unions(2)
OCCUPATION
Managerial and professional specialty....... $738 $776 $766 $731 $759 $789 $774 $756
Executive, administrative, and managerial. 725 757 752 721 755 801 789 753
Professional specialty.................... 750 782 769 742 763 787 772 759
Technical, sales, and administrative support 456 550 541 441 477 575 569 463
Technicians and related support........... 582 677 675 566 599 708 688 590
Sales occupations......................... 482 467 469 483 502 496 492 502
Administrative support, including clerical 419 545 534 404 438 563 558 418
Service occupations......................... 313 516 505 293 327 557 542 305
Protective service........................ 550 724 713 418 598 736 732 450
Service, except protective service........ 293 398 393 283 305 403 402 295
Precision production, craft, and repair..... 548 724 718 501 572 753 747 514
Operators, fabricators, and laborers........ 401 572 561 365 415 585 580 381
Machine operators, assemblers, and
inspectors.................................. 390 533 524 356 406 559 556 375
Transportation and material moving
occupations................................. 498 658 642 451 510 655 644 468
Handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and
laborers................................ 329 509 506 310 351 514 514 326
Farming, forestry, and fishing.............. 295 505 475 290 302 471 462 299
INDUSTRY
Private wage and salary workers............. 486 609 602 471 505 625 619 493
Agriculture(3)............................ 306 (4) (4) 305 315 (4) (4) 314
Nonagricultural industries................ 490 $610 $603 476 509 $626 $620 496
Mining.................................. 680 717 717 668 684 733 723 673
Construction............................ 518 771 760 484 534 790 783 496
Manufacturing........................... 517 595 592 503 551 606 603 532
Durable goods......................... 548 619 616 523 581 629 625 566
Nondurable goods...................... 484 536 529 470 507 565 562 495
Transportation and public utilities..... 617 718 714 580 624 731 724 586
Transportation........................ 573 702 697 513 570 704 695 519
Communications and public utilities... 709 746 743 690 727 763 760 699
Wholesale and retail trade.............. 391 457 451 387 410 480 476 405
Wholesale trade....................... 525 545 536 524 562 611 604 557
Retail trade.......................... 352 419 415 347 373 442 439 369
Finance, insurance, and real estate..... 546 487 501 548 577 545 554 578
Services................................ 475 517 512 470 498 540 548 494
Government workers.......................... 605 681 671 530 620 694 688 558
Federal................................... 684 689 687 678 694 690 693 696
State..................................... 584 628 621 540 596 646 638 563
Local..................................... 592 697 682 479 612 712 702 501
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 for 1997 have been corrected.
4 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 all self-employed workers
regardlesses of whether or not their businesses are incorporated. Detail for the above race and Hispanic-origin groups
Beginning in January 1998, data reflect new composite estimation procedures and revised population controls used in the
household survey.