Factoid of the day: Don’t look for the union label
“For the first time in American history,” today’s New York Times reports, “a majority of union members are government workers rather than private-sector employees.”
Last year, the U.S. had 7.9 million unionized workers in the public sector and 7.4 million in private industry. Only 7. 2 percent of the private sector workforce belongs to a labor union, the lowest percentage since 1900.
(Source: NY Times, 1/23/10)
So, Dan, what do you think the significance of this is?
@c.a. — Well, I think it helps explain some amount of middle class economic insecurity. Unions definitely helped boost wages. But it also suggests that we need new workforce/workplace/labor market organizations to help people make their way today. The curious question is what those organizations will be — and what sort of functions they’ll carry out.
Of the unions left in the private sector, most of those consist of unions for the trades. Few other sectors have unions involved. Why? Trade unions have taken consessions and realize, for example, that they can’t have double-time for every hour of overtime. The market can’t bear such extravangance.
The trade unions realize that if the contractors can’t sell the work, the people they represent won’t have a job. Trade unions have contractors involved in their training and apprenticeship programs. Trade unions have a less adversarial relatinship with contractors, and it works better! Finally, trade unions police their own ranks and rarely protect sub-standard workers. Bottom line; its about collaboration vs. confrontation.
Agree with Mike Sporer. I have union contractor organization clients. They are very concerned about maintaining a high standard of work excellence while providing equitable compensation and benefits for all parties.
Since my union clients are involved in the building and construction trades, they have been hit hard by the recession. Attracting new apprentices to the trades with the paucity of work available is a major challenge. Even the journeymen are without work and sitting on the bench or seeking other employment.
Personally, I think the current dip in private sector union employment may be more reflective of the economy and less of a societal trend.
I am definitely not a right-winger, but I loathe most of what unions stand for. They are bland and banal. They impose their view on individuals in a very heavy-handed way. I’m glad they are diminishing in power and size. They were once highly important and needed, but no more. Thank goodness.
I guess my view is from growing up with my “free agent” dad who was a freelance graphic artist long before it was cool. 🙂
I’ve worked union jobs and non-union jobs, and I have to say that “union” and “innovation” have become, in my mind, antonyms. If you’re ambitious, creative and excited about life, run from union membership as fast as you can.