For release 10:00 a.m. (EST) Friday, January 18, 2019
USDL-19-0079
Technical information: (202) 691-6378 •cpsinfo@bls.gov• www.bls.gov/cps Media contact: (202) 691-5902 •PressOffice@bls.gov
UNION MEMBERS - 2018
The union membership rate-the percent of wage and salary workers who were members of unions- was 10.5 percent in 2018, down by 0.2 percentage point from 2017, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. The number of wage and salary workers belonging to unions, at 14.7 million in 2018, was little changed from 2017. In 1983, the first year for which comparable union data are available, the union membership rate was 20.1 percent and there were 17.7 million union workers.
The data on union membership are collected as part of the Current Population Survey (CPS), a monthly sample survey of about 60,000 eligible households that obtains information on employment and unemployment among the nation's civilian noninstitutional population age 16 and over. For more information, see the Technical Note in this news release.
Highlights from the 2018 data:
• The union membership rate of public-sector workers (33.9 percent) continued to be more than five times higher than that of private-sector workers (6.4 percent). (See table 3.)
• The highest unionization rates were among workers in protective service occupations (33.9
percent) and in education, training, and library occupations (33.8 percent). (See table 3.)
• Men continued to have a higher union membership rate (11.1 percent) than women (9.9 percent).
(See table 1.)
• Black workers remained more likely to be union members than White, Asian, or Hispanic workers. (See table 1.)
• Nonunion workers had median weekly earnings that were 82 percent of earnings for workers who were union members ($860 versus $1,051). (The comparisons of earnings in this release are on a broad level and do not control for many factors that can be important in explaining earnings differences.) (See table 2.)
• Among states, Hawaii and New York had the highest union membership rates (23.1 percent and 22.3 percent, respectively), while North Carolina and South Carolina had the lowest (2.7 percent each). (See table 5.)
Industry and Occupation of Union Members
In 2018, 7.2 million employees in the public sector belonged to a union, compared with 7.6 million workers in the private sector. Union membership rates for both public-sector and private-sector workers edged down in 2018. The unionization rate in the private sector (6.4 percent) remained substantially below that for public-sector workers (33.9 percent). Within the public sector, the union membership rate was highest in local government (40.3 percent), which employs many workers in heavily unionized occupations, such as police officers, firefighters, and teachers. Private-sector industries with high unionization rates included utilities (20.1 percent), transportation and warehousing (16.7 percent), and telecommunications (15.4 percent). Low unionization rates occurred in finance (1.3 percent), food services and drinking places (1.3 percent), and professional and technical services (1.5 percent). (See table 3.)
Among occupational groups, the highest unionization rates in 2018 were in protective service occupations (33.9 percent) and in education, training, and library occupations (33.8 percent). Unionization rates were lowest in farming, fishing, and forestry occupations (2.4 percent); sales and related occupations (3.3 percent); computer and mathematical occupations (3.7 percent); and in food preparation and serving related occupations (3.9 percent).
Selected Characteristics of Union Members
In 2018, the union membership rate continued to be higher for men (11.1 percent) than for women (9.9 percent). (See table 1.) The gap between their rates has narrowed considerably since 1983 (the earliest year for which comparable data are available), when rates for men and women were 24.7 percent and 14.6 percent, respectively.
Among major race and ethnicity groups, Black workers continued to have a higher union membership rate in 2018 (12.5 percent) than workers who were White (10.4 percent), Asian (8.4 percent), or Hispanic (9.1 percent).
By age, union membership rates continued to be highest among workers ages 45 to 64. In 2018, 12.8 percent of workers ages 45 to 54 and 13.3 percent of those ages 55 to 64 were union members.
In 2018, the union membership rate for full-time workers (11.6 percent) was about twice the rate for part-time workers (5.4 percent).
Union Representation
In 2018, 16.4 million wage and salary workers were represented by a union. This group includes both union members (14.7 million) and workers who report no union affiliation but whose jobs are covered by a union contract (1.6 million). (See table 1.)
Earnings
Among full-time wage and salary workers, union members had median usual weekly earnings of $1,051 in 2018, while those who were not union members had median weekly earnings of $860. In addition to coverage by a collective bargaining agreement, this earnings difference reflects a variety of influences, including variations in the distributions of union members and nonunion employees by occupation, industry, age, firm size, or geographic region. (See tables 2 and 4.)
Union Membership by State
In 2018, 29 states and the District of Columbia had union membership rates below that of the U.S. average, 10.5 percent, while 20 states had rates above it and 1 state had the same rate. All states in both the East South Central and West South Central divisions had union membership rates below the national average, while all states in both the Middle Atlantic and Pacific divisions had rates above it.
Eight states had union membership rates below 5.0 percent in 2018. North Carolina and South Carolina had the lowest rate (2.7 percent each). The next lowest rates were in Utah (4.1 percent) and Texas and Virginia (4.3 percent each). Two states had union membership rates over 20.0 percent in 2018: Hawaii (23.1 percent) and New York (22.3 percent). (See table 5 and the map.)
The largest numbers of union members lived in California (2.4 million) and New York (1.9 million). Over half of the 14.7 million union members in the U.S. lived in just seven states (California, 2.4 million; New York, 1.9 million; Illinois, 0.8 million; Pennsylvania, 0.7 million; and Michigan, Ohio, and Washington, 0.6 million each), though these states accounted for only about one-third of wage and salary employment nationally.
Technical Note
The estimates in this release are obtained from the Current Population Survey (CPS), which provides 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 eligible 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.
Beginning in January of each year, data reflect revised population controls used in the CPS. Additional information about population controls is available on the BLS website athttps://www.bls.gov/cps/documentation.htm#pop.
Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; Federal Relay Service: (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 depending on 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 state section of this release preserves the long-time practice of highlighting the state union membership rates and levels regardless of their statistical significance.
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.
Information about the reliability of data from the CPS and guidance on estimating standard errors is available athttps://www.bls.gov/cps/documentation.htm#reliability.
Union membership questions
Employed wage and salary workers are classified as union members if they answer "yes" to the following question: On this job, are you a member of a labor union or of an employee association similar to a union? If the response is "no" to that question, then the interviewer asks a second question: On this job, are you covered by a union or employee association contract? If the response is "yes," then these persons, along with those who responded "yes" to being union members, are classified as represented by a union. If the response is "no" to both the first and second questions, then they are classified as
nonunion.
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.
Union membership rate. Data refer to the proportion of total wage and salary workers who are union members.
Represented by unions. Data refer to both union members and workers who report no union affiliation but whose jobs are covered by a union or an employee association contract.
Nonunion. Data refer to workers who are neither members of a union nor represented by a union on their job.
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, commissions, tips, payment in kind, or piece rates. The group includes employees in both the private and public sectors. Union membership and earnings data exclude all self-employed workers, both those with incorporated businesses as well as those with unincorporated businesses.
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 themselves 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, 2017-2018 annual averages
[Numbers in thousands]
2017
2018
Characteristic
Total employed
Members of unions1
Represented by unions2
TotalPercent of employed
TotalPercent of employed
Total employed
Members of unions1
Represented by unions2
TotalPercent of employed
TotalPercent of employed
AGE AND SEX
Total,16yearsandover ............................
137,890
14,817
10.7
16,444
11.9
140,099
14,744
10.5
16,380 11.7
16to24years .................................... 25yearsandover ................................
18,757
877
4.7
1,014
5.4
18,698
823
4.4
966 5.2
119,133
13,940
11.7
15,430
13.0
121,401
13,921
11.5
15,415 12.7
25to34years ................................. 35to44years ................................. 45to54years ................................. 55to64years ................................. 65yearsandover .............................
32,407
3,061
9.4
3,426
10.6
33,232
3,084
9.3
3,452 10.4
28,729
3,421
11.9
3,806
13.2
29,433
3,445
11.7
3,802 12.9
28,655
3,771
13.2
4,145
14.5
28,525
3,664
12.8
4,029 14.1
22,382
3,032
13.5
3,329
14.9
22,839
3,041
13.3
3,355 14.7
6,960
655
9.4
723
10.4
7,372
687
9.3
777 10.5
Men,16yearsandover ............................
71,469
8,166
11.4
8,930
12.5
72,632
8,082
11.1
8,868 12.2
16to24years .................................... 25yearsandover ................................
9,486
529
5.6
609
6.4
9,366
513
5.5
587 6.3
61,983
7,637
12.3
8,321
13.4
63,266
7,569
12.0
8,281 13.1
25to34years ................................. 35to44years ................................. 45to54years ................................. 55to64years ................................. 65yearsandover .............................
17,199
1,755
10.2
1,940
11.3
17,710
1,781
10.1
1,957 11.0
15,220
1,900
12.5
2,088
13.7
15,617
1,884
12.1
2,057 13.2
14,693
2,040
13.9
2,189
14.9
14,593
1,934
13.3
2,109 14.5
11,318
1,617
14.3
1,745
15.4
11,575
1,611
13.9
1,752 15.1
3,554
324
9.1
359
10.1
3,771
360
9.5
405 10.8
Women,16yearsandover .........................
66,421
6,651
10.0
7,514
11.3
67,467
6,662
9.9
7,512 11.1
16to24years .................................... 25yearsandover ................................
9,271
348
3.8
405
4.4
9,332
310
3.3
379 4.1
57,150
6,303
11.0
7,109
12.4
58,135
6,352
10.9
7,134 12.3
25to34years ................................. 35to44years ................................. 45to54years ................................. 55to64years ................................. 65yearsandover .............................
15,208
1,306
8.6
1,486
9.8
15,521
1,303
8.4
1,495 9.6
13,509
1,521
11.3
1,718
12.7
13,817
1,561
11.3
1,744 12.6
13,962
1,731
12.4
1,956
14.0
13,932
1,730
12.4
1,920 13.8
11,065
1,415
12.8
1,584
14.3
11,264
1,430
12.7
1,603 14.2
3,406
330
9.7
364
10.7
3,601
327
9.1
372 10.3
RACE, HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY,
AND SEX
White,16yearsandover ...........................
107,121
11,358
10.6
12,589
11.8
108,164
11,215
10.4
12,471 11.5
Men .............................................. Women ...........................................
56,545
6,432
11.4
7,025
12.4
57,132
6,311
11.0
6,920 12.1
50,576
4,926
9.7
5,564
11.0
51,032
4,904
9.6
5,551 10.9
Black or African American, 16 years and over . . . . . .
17,498
2,210
12.6
2,459
14.1
17,994
2,258
12.5
2,487 13.8
Men .............................................. Women ...........................................
8,042
1,101
13.7
1,205
15.0
8,330
1,111
13.3
1,221 14.7
9,456
1,109
11.7
1,254
13.3
9,664
1,147
11.9
1,266 13.1
Asian,16yearsandover ...........................
8,561
763
8.9
843
9.8
8,973
758
8.4
855 9.5
Men .............................................. Women ...........................................
4,457
365
8.2
402
9.0
4,652
375
8.1
416 8.9
4,105
398
9.7
441
10.7
4,321
383
8.9
439 10.2
Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, 16 years and over . . . .
23,656
2,201
9.3
2,476
10.5
24,591
2,239
9.1
2,482 10.1
Men .............................................. Women ...........................................
13,342
1,261
9.5
1,410
10.6
13,775
1,304
9.5
1,443 10.5
10,315
940
9.1
1,067
10.3
10,815
934
8.6
1,039 9.6
FULL- OR PART-TIME STATUS3 Full-timeworkers ................................... Part-timeworkers ...................................
113,272 24,433
13,396 1,403
11.8 5.7
14,812 1,611
13.1 6.6
115,567 24,346
13,415 1,313
11.6 5.4
14,844 12.8
1,518 6.2
1 Data refer to members of a labor union or an employee association similar to a union.
2 Data refer to both union members and 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: 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. Persons whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race. Data refer to the sole or principal job of full- and part-time wage and salary workers. All self-employed workers are excluded, both those with incorporated businesses as well as those with unincorporated businesses. Updated population controls are introduced annually with the release of January data.
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BLS - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics published this content on 18 January 2019 and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed by Public, unedited and unaltered, on 18 January 2019 15:43:03 UTC
