![]() ![]() To determine the most unionized occupations, researchers at Smartest Dollar calculated the union membership rate for each occupation. Trades like electricians and plumbers also boast union membership rates above the nationwide rate. For roles like teachers and police officers, around half of workers are union members or otherwise represented by a union. Albany, the home of New York’s state government, has a union membership rate of 31.5%, while the New York City metro has a union membership rate of 18.9%.Īnd for certain occupations, unions are well entrenched and likely to continue to be a force. New York is one of only two states with a union membership rate above 20%, and fittingly, the Albany and New York City metros are the most unionized metros in the United States. Locations in the Northeast and on the West Coast tend to have the largest union presences, with New York being one of the nation’s leading areas for union activity. have also continued to maintain higher-than-average union participation. Other industries with a strong public sector presence are also among the most unionized, including public administration (29% union members) and utilities (22% union members). 30.3% of these professionals are union members, and a total of 34.1% are represented by unions. The educational services industry, which includes public schools and universities, has the highest rates of unionization. Because public sector employees tend to join unions at higher rates, most of the industries with the highest rates of union membership are dominated by public sector employers. In contrast, public sector union membership has only declined by two percentage points in that span, from 35.9% to 33.9%.ĭespite the downward trend in union participation overall, parts of the economy continue to have fairly strong union participation. Since 1980, the private sector union membership rate has fallen from 20.1% to just 6.1% today. Much of this decline has been driven by declines in private sector union membership. employees (10.3%) is a member of a union, less than half the share of union members 40 years ago. These shifts sharply cut down the share of U.S. Deregulation and other policy changes like right-to-work laws have decreased union strength. SHUTTERSTOCK JOBS FREEGlobalization and free trade agreements made it easier for employers to offshore jobs to less expensive labor markets, and automation and other technological advances have also decreased the number of workers in unionized jobs. Workers in heavily unionized fields like manufacturing lost power amid the economic downturn and high unemployment of the late 1970s and early 1980s. At the height of labor’s strength in the U.S., the union membership rate among all workers was 34.8%.īut unionization has been on a steady downward trajectory in recent decades. Unions have been a driving force behind many reforms that are now fundamental labor protections, like the minimum wage, overtime pay, and child labor laws, and an influential interest in U.S. has historically been a powerful advocate for workers. And under President Joe Biden, an avowed labor advocate, Congress has been deliberating legislation that would strengthen unions and make it easier to organize. Petitions for union elections filed at the National Labor Relations Board are up by more than 50% over last year. Workers at major corporations like Starbucks, Amazon, and Apple have led successful union drives. Photo Credit: Zivica Kerkez / ShutterstockĢ022 has brought some of the most noteworthy victories for organized labor in the U.S. ![]()
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