US Private Sector
Trade Union Market Share
Drops to 100 Year Low in 2001
HIGHLIGHTS
Data released in January 2002 by the US Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates that US
private sector trade union membership (2001) has dropped to 8.97 percent of private non-agricultural employment.
The 2001 market share represents a 0.2 percent market share loss from 2001, the smallest drop since union share reached its peak in the late 1950s.
Private sector union membership was last below the 2002 level 100 years ago, in 1901, when it was 7.7 percent.
Private sector union membership fell by 35,000 to 9,113,000, the lowest level since 1941.
|
Year |
Private Sector Union Membership |
Percentage of Private Sector Employees |
Change from Prior |
|
1900 |
917,000 |
6.51% |
|
|
1901 |
1,167,000 |
7.70% |
18.19% |
|
1902 |
1,500,000 |
9.26% |
20.29% |
|
1903 |
1,908,000 |
11.47% |
23.95% |
|
1904 |
1,995,000 |
12.19% |
6.26% |
|
1905 |
1,923,000 |
11.07% |
-9.21% |
|
1910 |
2,109,000 |
10.47% |
-5.39% |
|
1915 |
2,508,000 |
12.23% |
16.74% |
|
1920 |
4,664,000 |
19.17% |
56.76% |
|
1925 |
3,495,000 |
13.21% |
-31.06% |
|
1930 |
3,482,000 |
13.30% |
0.66% |
|
1935 |
3,337,000 |
14.20% |
6.77% |
|
1940 |
6,848,000 |
24.30% |
71.13% |
|
1941 |
8,268,000 |
25.90% |
6.58% |
|
1942 |
9,716,000 |
28.10% |
8.49% |
|
1943 |
11,182,000 |
30.80% |
9.61% |
|
1944 |
11,598,000 |
32.40% |
5.19% |
|
1945 |
11,674,000 |
33.90% |
4.63% |
|
1950 |
13,550,000 |
34.60% |
2.06% |
|
1955 |
15,341,000 |
35.10% |
1.45% |
|
1956 |
17,114,000 |
38.00% |
8.26% |
|
1958 |
16,871,000 |
39.00% |
2.63% |
|
1960 |
16,907,000 |
37.00% |
-5.13% |
|
1962 |
16,390,000 |
35.00% |
-5.41% |
|
1964 |
16,403,000 |
34.00% |
-2.86% |
|
1966 |
17,409,000 |
33.00% |
-2.94% |
|
1968 |
17,939,000 |
32.00% |
-3.03% |
|
1970 |
18,295,000 |
31.00% |
-3.13% |
|
1972 |
18,181,000 |
30.00% |
-3.23% |
|
1974 |
18,538,000 |
29.00% |
-3.33% |
|
1976 |
17,882,000 |
28.00% |
-3.45% |
|
1978 |
17,834,000 |
26.00% |
-7.14% |
|
1980 |
15,273,000 |
20.60% |
-20.77% |
|
1983 |
11,933,000 |
16.80% |
-18.45% |
|
1984 |
11,646,000 |
15.50% |
-7.74% |
|
1985 |
11,226,000 |
14.60% |
-5.81% |
|
1986 |
11,051,000 |
14.00% |
-4.11% |
|
1987 |
10,827,000 |
13.40% |
-4.29% |
|
1988 |
10,694,000 |
12.90% |
-3.73% |
|
1989 |
10,541,000 |
12.40% |
-3.88% |
|
1990 |
10,247,000 |
12.10% |
-2.42% |
|
1991 |
9,898,000 |
11.90% |
-1.65% |
|
1992 |
9,703,000 |
11.50% |
-3.36% |
|
1993 |
9,554,000 |
11.20% |
-2.61% |
|
1994 |
9,620,000 |
10.90% |
-2.68% |
|
1995 |
9,400,000 |
10.40% |
-4.59% |
|
1996 |
9,385,000 |
10.20% |
-1.92% |
|
1997 |
9,363,000 |
9.80% |
-3.92% |
|
1998 |
9,306,000 |
9.46% |
-3.43% |
|
1999 |
9,419,000 |
9.42% |
-0.50% |
|
2000 |
9,148,000 |
8.99% |
-4.58% |
|
2001 |
9,113,000 |
8.97% |
-0.18% |
Sources
US Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics
Leo Troy & Neil Sheflin, Union Sourcebook
US Census Bureau
The Public Purpose: One of National Journal's Top 4 Transport Internet Sites
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