Technical information:  (202) 691-6378     USDL 06-99
               http://www.bls.gov/cps/
                                           For release:  10:00 A.M. EST
Media contact:                691-5902     Friday, January 20, 2006


                           UNION MEMBERS IN 2005

   In 2005, 12.5 percent of wage and salary workers were union members, un-
changed from 2004, the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics
reported today.  The union membership rate has declined from a high of 20.1
percent in 1983, the first year for which comparable union data are available.
Some highlights from the 2005 data are:

   --Nearly 15.7 million wage and salary workers were union members in
     2005.

   --Black workers were more likely to be union members than were white,
     Asian, or Hispanic workers.

   --Men were more likely than women to be union members.

   --Workers in the public sector had a union membership rate more than
     four times that of private-sector employees.

Membership by Industry and Occupation
   
   At 36.5 percent in 2005, the unionization rate for government workers
was essentially unchanged from a year earlier; the rate for private in-
dustry workers, at 7.8 percent, was also flat over the year.  Within the
public sector, local government workers had the highest union membership
rate, 41.9 percent.  This group includes several heavily unionized oc-
cupations, such as teachers, police officers, and fire fighters.  Among
major private industries, transportation and utilities had the highest
union membership rate, at 24.0 percent.  Information industries (13.6
percent), construction (13.1 percent), and manufacturing (13.0 percent)
also had higher-than-average rates.  Within the information industry,
telecommunications had a 21.4 percent union membership rate.  Financial
activities had the lowest unionization rate in 2005--2.3 percent.  (See
table 3.)
   
   Among occupational groups, education, training, and library occupations
(38.5 percent) and protective service workers (37.0 percent) had the highest
unionization rates in 2005.  Transportation and material moving occupations
(19.0 percent), construction and extraction occupations (17.6 percent), in-
stallation, maintenance, and repair occupations (17.2 percent), production
occupations (17.1 percent), and community and social services occupations
(16.5 percent), also had higher-than-average unionization rates.  Sales and
related occupations (3.3 percent) and farming, fishing, and forestry occupa-
tions (3.9 percent) had the lowest unionization rates.  (See table 3.)

                                  - 2 -

Demographic Characteristics of Union Members
   
   In 2005, the union membership rate was higher for men (13.5 percent) than
for women (11.3 percent).  (See table 1.)  The gap between their rates has
narrowed considerably since 1983, when the rate for men was 10 percentage
points higher than the rate for women.  This narrowing occurred because the
union membership rate for men declined more rapidly than the rate for women
over the period.
   
   Blacks were more likely to be union members (15.1 percent) than were
whites (12.2 percent), Asians (11.2 percent), or Hispanics (10.4 percent).
Among age groups, union membership rates were highest among workers 45 to
64 years old (16.5 percent) and were lowest among those ages 16 to 24 (4.6
percent).  Full-time workers were more than twice as likely as part-time
workers to be union members, 13.7 and 6.5 percent, respectively.  (See
table 1.)
   
Union Representation of Nonmembers
   
   About 1.5 million wage and salary workers were represented by a union
on their main job in 2005, while not being union members themselves.  (See
table 1.)  About half of these workers were employed in government.  (See
table 3.)
   
Earnings
   
   In 2005, full-time wage and salary workers who were union members had
median usual weekly earnings of $801, compared with a median of $622 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 "Measuring union-nonunion
earnings differences," Monthly Labor Review, June 1990.)
   
Union Membership by State
   
   In 2005, 31 states and the District of Columbia had union membership
rates below the U.S. average of 12.5 percent, while 19 states had higher
rates.  All states in the Middle Atlantic and Pacific divisions continued
to report union membership rates above the national average and all states
in the East South Central and West South Central divisions had rates below
it.  Over the year, 24 states and the District of Columbia recorded lower
union membership rates, 23 states registered higher rates, and 3 states had
no change in their rates.  (See table 5.)
   
   Five states had union membership rates over 20.0 percent in 2005--New
York (26.1 percent), Hawaii (25.8 percent), Alaska (22.8 percent), and
Michigan and New Jersey (20.5 percent each).  Five states reported union
membership rates below 5.0 percent in 2005.  South Carolina and North
Carolina continued to record the lowest union membership rates, 2.3 per-
cent and 2.9 percent, respectively.  Arkansas and Virginia had the next
lowest union membership rates in 2005, 4.8 percent each, followed closely
by Utah, at 4.9 percent.
   
                                  - 3 -

   The largest numbers of union members lived in California (2.4 million)
and New York (2.1 million).  Just over half (7.9 million) of the 15.7
million union members in the U.S. lived in six states (California, New
York, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, and New Jersey), though these states ac-
counted for slightly less than one-third of wage and salary employment
nationally.

   State union membership levels depend on both the employment level and
the union membership rate.  Texas (with the second largest number of em-
ployed wage and salary workers) had less than one-fourth as many union
members as New York (the third largest), despite having nearly 1.5 mil-
lion more wage and salary employees.  Similarly, Florida (with the fourth
largest employment level) and Massachusetts (the thirteenth) had virtually
the same number of union members, even though Florida's wage and salary
employment level was over two and one-half times that of Massachusetts.
   
   
   
   
   
                                  - 4 -

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 U.S. Census Bureau from a scientifically
selected national sample of about 60,000 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.  All self-employed workers are
excluded.
   
   Union membership data for 2005 are not strictly comparable with data
for 2004 and earlier years because of the introduction in January 2005 of
revised population controls used in the CPS.  The effect of the revised
population controls on the union membership estimates is unknown.  However,
the effect of the new controls on the monthly CPS estimates was to decrease
the December 2004 employment level by 45,000 and the unemployment level by
4,000.  The updated controls had little or no effect on unemployment rates
and other ratios.  For additional information, see "Adjustments to Household
Survey Population Estimates in January 2005" in the February 2005 issue of
Employment and Earnings, available on the Internet at http://www.bls.gov/
cps/cps05adj.pdf.
   
   Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired
individuals upon request.  Voice phone: 202-691-5200, TDD message referral
phone number: 1-800-877-8339.
   
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 de-
pending 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 infor-
mation, and errors made in the collection or processing of the data.
   
   For a full discussion of the reliability of data from the CPS and in-
formation on estimating standard errors, see the "Explanatory Notes and
Estimates of Error" section of Employment and Earnings.
   
                                  - 5 -

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 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, com-
missions, 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 or Latino ethnicity.  Refers to persons who identified them-
selves 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

     (Numbers in thousands)
                                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                 
                                                                    2004                                    2005                 
                                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                 
                                                             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
                                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                 
                     AGE AND SEX                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                 
      Total, 16 years and over................... 123,554  15,472   12.5   17,087   13.8  125,889  15,685   12.5   17,223   13.7 
        16 to 24 years...........................  19,109     890    4.7    1,019    5.3   19,283     878    4.6    1,019    5.3 
        25 years and over........................ 104,444  14,581   14.0   16,069   15.4  106,606  14,808   13.9   16,204   15.2 
          25 to 34 years.........................  28,202   2,982   10.6    3,316   11.8   28,450   3,044   10.7    3,368   11.8 
          35 to 44 years.........................  30,470   4,173   13.7    4,590   15.1   30,654   4,211   13.7    4,579   14.9 
          45 to 54 years.........................  28,039   4,771   17.0    5,233   18.7   28,714   4,731   16.5    5,158   18.0 
          55 to 64 years.........................  14,239   2,390   16.8    2,617   18.4   15,158   2,496   16.5    2,732   18.0 
          65 years and over......................   3,495     264    7.5      314    9.0    3,631     325    8.9      366   10.1 
                                                                                                                                 
        Men, 16 years and over...................  64,145   8,878   13.8    9,638   15.0   65,466   8,870   13.5    9,597   14.7 
          16 to 24 years.........................   9,835     557    5.7      627    6.4    9,860     523    5.3      603    6.1 
          25 years and over......................  54,310   8,321   15.3    9,010   16.6   55,606   8,347   15.0    8,994   16.2 
            25 to 34 years.......................  15,391   1,722   11.2    1,873   12.2   15,559   1,754   11.3    1,915   12.3 
            35 to 44 years.......................  16,035   2,449   15.3    2,658   16.6   16,196   2,422   15.0    2,582   15.9 
            45 to 54 years.......................  14,026   2,699   19.2    2,903   20.7   14,421   2,658   18.4    2,849   19.8 
            55 to 64 years.......................   7,117   1,309   18.4    1,414   19.9    7,606   1,346   17.7    1,458   19.2 
            65 years and over....................   1,741     142    8.2      163    9.4    1,824     167    9.1      190   10.4 
                                                                                                                                 
        Women, 16 years and over.................  59,408   6,593   11.1    7,450   12.5   60,423   6,815   11.3    7,626   12.6 
          16 to 24 years.........................   9,274     333    3.6      391    4.2    9,423     354    3.8      417    4.4 
          25 years and over......................  50,134   6,260   12.5    7,058   14.1   51,000   6,461   12.7    7,210   14.1 
            25 to 34 years.......................  12,811   1,261    9.8    1,443   11.3   12,891   1,290   10.0    1,454   11.3 
            35 to 44 years.......................  14,435   1,725   11.9    1,931   13.4   14,457   1,790   12.4    1,997   13.8 
            45 to 54 years.......................  14,014   2,072   14.8    2,330   16.6   14,293   2,073   14.5    2,309   16.2 
            55 to 64 years.......................   7,122   1,081   15.2    1,203   16.9    7,552   1,150   15.2    1,274   16.9 
            65 years and over....................   1,753     121    6.9      151    8.6    1,806     158    8.8      176    9.8 
                                                                                                                                 
     RACE, HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY, AND SEX                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                 
       White, 16 years and over.................. 101,340  12,381   12.2   13,657   13.5  102,967  12,520   12.2   13,755   13.4 
         Men.....................................  53,432   7,260   13.6    7,854   14.7   54,462   7,275   13.4    7,858   14.4 
         Women...................................  47,908   5,121   10.7    5,803   12.1   48,505   5,245   10.8    5,897   12.2 
                                                                                                                                 
       Black or African American, 16 years and                                                                                   
        over.....................................  14,090   2,130   15.1    2,355   16.7   14,459   2,178   15.1    2,391   16.5 
         Men.....................................   6,409   1,085   16.9    1,185   18.5    6,603   1,062   16.1    1,166   17.7 
         Women...................................   7,681   1,045   13.6    1,170   15.2    7,857   1,115   14.2    1,225   15.6 
                                                                                                                                 
       Asian, 16 years and over..................   5,280     603   11.4      670   12.7    5,479     614   11.2      666   12.2 
         Men.....................................   2,815     328   11.7      371   13.2    2,881     314   10.9      337   11.7 
         Women...................................   2,465     275   11.1      299   12.1    2,598     299   11.5      329   12.7 
                                                                                                                                 
       Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, 16 years and                                                                                
        over.....................................  16,533   1,676   10.1    1,888   11.4   17,191   1,793   10.4    1,981   11.5 
         Men.....................................   9,857   1,016   10.3    1,130   11.5   10,324   1,093   10.6    1,185   11.5 
         Women...................................   6,676     661    9.9      758   11.4    6,866     700   10.2      796   11.6 
                                                                                                                                 
            FULL- OR PART-TIME STATUS (3)                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                 
       Full-time workers......................... 101,224  14,029   13.9   15,463   15.3  103,560  14,207   13.7   15,551   15.0 
       Part-time workers.........................  22,047   1,406    6.4    1,587    7.2   22,052   1,441    6.5    1,630    7.4 

       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.  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:  Beginning in January 2005, data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey.  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.  In addition, persons whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race and, therefore, are
     classified by ethnicity as well as race.  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.





     Table 2.  Median weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by union affiliation and selected characteristics
                                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                 
                                                                    2004                                    2005                 
                                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                 
                    Characteristic                           Members    Repre                        Members    Repre-           
                                                                of      sented     Non-                 of      sented     Non-  
                                                    Total     unions      by      union     Total     unions      by      union  
                                                               (1)      unions                         (1)      unions           
                                                                         (2)                                     (2)             
                                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                 
                     AGE AND SEX                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                 
      Total, 16 years and over...................    $638      $781      $776      $612      $651      $801      $795      $622  
        16 to 24 years...........................     390       498       494       385       397       502       502       392  
        25 years and over........................     683       798       793       656       696       820       815       669  
          25 to 34 years.........................     604       724       717       590       610       735       729       595  
          35 to 44 years.........................     713       813       808       690       731       844       837       708  
          45 to 54 years.........................     743       834       831       718       748       854       851       722  
          55 to 64 years.........................     725       835       835       693       742       852       851       716  
          65 years and over......................     560       728       744       520       569       679       683       551  
                                                                                                                                 
        Men, 16 years and over...................     713       829       828       685       722       857       855       692  
          16 to 24 years.........................     400       504       496       395       409       513       511       403  
          25 years and over......................     762       846       846       743       771       876       876       749  
            25 to 34 years.......................     639       751       748       620       644       763       760       624  
            35 to 44 years.......................     804       868       865       787       822       921       918       800  
            45 to 54 years.......................     857       878       881       847       853       911       912       831  
            55 to 64 years.......................     843       870       877       829       855       888       895       840  
            65 years and over....................     641       753       776       620       644       758       768       625  
                                                                                                                                 
        Women, 16 years and over.................     573       723       719       541       585       731       726       559  
          16 to 24 years.........................     375       487       491       370       381       484       487       377  
          25 years and over......................     599       733       730       580       612       743       738       593  
            25 to 34 years.......................     561       678       665       541       573       693       682       548  
            35 to 44 years.......................     608       735       733       590       621       740       735       603  
            45 to 54 years.......................     625       758       755       604       644       760       758       619  
            55 to 64 years.......................     615       767       767       592       639       795       785       610  
            65 years and over....................     478       687       733       455       492       610       599       480  
                                                                                                                                 
               RACE, HISPANIC OR LATINO                                                                                          
                  ETHNICITY, AND SEX                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                 
       White, 16 years and over..................     657       808       802       626       672       830       824       641  
         Men.....................................     732       855       854       704       743       884       884       714  
         Women...................................     584       738       734       557       596       749       743       576  
                                                                                                                                 
       Black or African American, 16 years and                                                                                   
        over.....................................     525       656       651       507       520       656       653       500  
         Men.....................................     569       679       679       534       559       689       682       523  
         Women...................................     505       629       621       490       499       632       630       478  
                                                                                                                                 
       Asian, 16 years and over..................     708       765       774       691       753       809       805       744  
         Men.....................................     802       775       786       809       825       819       817       827  
         Women...................................     613       756       762       594       665       789       785       643  
                                                                                                                                 
       Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, 16 years and                                                                                
        over.....................................     456       679       670       428       471       673       661       449  
         Men.....................................     480       697       690       455       489       713       704       473  
         Women...................................     419       623       616       401       429       609       606       414  

       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.
       NOTE:  Beginning in January 2005, data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey.  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.  In addition, persons whose ethnicity is identified as "Hispanic or Latino" may be of any race and, therefore, are
     classified by ethnicity as well as race.  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.





     Table 3.  Union affiliation of employed wage and salary workers by occupation and industry

     (Numbers in thousands)
                                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                 
                                                                    2004                                    2005                 
                                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                 
                                                             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                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                 
     Management, professional, and related                                                                                       
      occupations................................  41,451   5,418   13.1    6,256   15.1   42,226   5,639   13.4    6,385   15.1 
         Management, business, and financial                                                                                     
          operations occupations.................  15,758     732    4.6      895    5.7   15,955     793    5.0      939    5.9 
             Management occupations..............  10,796     441    4.1      553    5.1   10,921     485    4.4      585    5.4 
             Business and financial operations                                                                                   
              occupations........................   4,962     291    5.9      342    6.9    5,034     308    6.1      354    7.0 
         Professional and related occupations....  25,693   4,686   18.2    5,361   20.9   26,271   4,845   18.4    5,447   20.7 
             Computer and mathematical                                                                                           
              occupations........................   2,962     128    4.3      171    5.8    3,067     142    4.6      172    5.6 
             Architecture and engineering                                                                                        
              occupations........................   2,597     209    8.0      246    9.5    2,593     221    8.5      259   10.0 
             Life, physical, and social science                                                                                  
              occupations........................   1,204     106    8.8      129   10.7    1,305     125    9.6      140   10.7 
             Community and social services                                                                                       
              occupations........................   2,132     370   17.4      422   19.8    2,100     346   16.5      376   17.9 
             Legal occupations...................   1,216      75    6.2       92    7.6    1,261      71    5.6       83    6.6 
             Education, training, and library                                                                                    
              occupations........................   7,636   2,874   37.6    3,235   42.4    7,813   3,006   38.5    3,354   42.9 
             Arts, design, entertainment, sports,                                                                                
              and media occupations..............   1,894     162    8.6      184    9.7    1,957     152    7.8      171    8.8 
             Healthcare practitioner and                                                                                         
              technical occupations..............   6,052     762   12.6      882   14.6    6,175     782   12.7      892   14.4 
     Service occupations.........................  20,724   2,371   11.4    2,552   12.3   21,074   2,446   11.6    2,659   12.6 
         Healthcare support occupations..........   2,791     290   10.4      315   11.3    2,971     286    9.6      317   10.7 
         Protective service occupations..........   2,840   1,059   37.3    1,118   39.4    2,843   1,051   37.0    1,109   39.0 
         Food preparation and serving related                                                                                    
          occupations............................   7,164     294    4.1      337    4.7    7,361     316    4.3      362    4.9 
         Building and grounds cleaning and                                                                                       
          maintenance occupations................   4,597     490   10.7      529   11.5    4,525     504   11.1      553   12.2 
         Personal care and service occupations...   3,331     238    7.1      254    7.6    3,373     288    8.5      317    9.4 
     Sales and office occupations................  32,322   2,493    7.7    2,780    8.6   32,541   2,385    7.3    2,671    8.2 
         Sales and related occupations...........  13,527     488    3.6      548    4.1   13,630     451    3.3      519    3.8 
         Office and administrative support                                                                                       
          occupations............................  18,795   2,005   10.7    2,232   11.9   18,911   1,934   10.2    2,152   11.4 
     Natural resources, construction, and                                                                                        
      maintenance occupations....................  12,081   2,222   18.4    2,343   19.4   12,907   2,129   16.5    2,238   17.3 
         Farming, fishing, and forestry                                                                                          
          occupations............................     862      27    3.1       34    3.9      898      35    3.9       38    4.3 
         Construction and extraction                                                                                             
          occupations............................   6,680   1,312   19.6    1,370   20.5    7,296   1,283   17.6    1,348   18.5 
         Installation, maintenance, and repair                                                                                   
          occupations............................   4,540     883   19.4      939   20.7    4,713     811   17.2      851   18.1 
     Production, transportation, and material                                                                                    
      moving occupations.........................  16,976   2,968   17.5    3,156   18.6   17,142   3,086   18.0    3,271   19.1 
         Production occupations..................   9,085   1,485   16.3    1,582   17.4    9,007   1,539   17.1    1,617   17.9 
         Transportation and material moving                                                                                      
          occupations............................   7,891   1,483   18.8    1,574   20.0    8,135   1,547   19.0    1,655   20.3 


                       INDUSTRY                                                                                                  


     Private sector.............................. 103,584   8,205    7.9    8,956    8.6  105,508   8,255    7.8    8,962    8.5 
       Agriculture and related industries........   1,023      23    2.2       30    2.9    1,021      28    2.7       30    3.0 
       Nonagricultural industries................ 102,560   8,182    8.0    8,926    8.7  104,487   8,227    7.9    8,931    8.5 
          Mining.................................     496      57   11.4       58   11.7      600      48    8.0       57    9.5 
          Construction...........................   7,550   1,110   14.7    1,162   15.4    8,053   1,057   13.1    1,111   13.8 
          Manufacturing..........................  15,754   2,036   12.9    2,183   13.9   15,518   2,017   13.0    2,127   13.7 
              Durable goods......................   9,885   1,316   13.3    1,407   14.2    9,845   1,310   13.3    1,382   14.0 
              Nondurable goods...................   5,869     720   12.3      776   13.2    5,673     707   12.5      746   13.1 
          Wholesale and retail trade.............  18,754   1,028    5.5    1,107    5.9   18,989   1,021    5.4    1,122    5.9 
              Wholesale trade....................   4,083     189    4.6      214    5.2    4,017     236    5.9      259    6.4 
              Retail trade.......................  14,671     839    5.7      893    6.1   14,973     785    5.2      864    5.8 
          Transportation and utilities...........   4,893   1,218   24.9    1,287   26.3    5,212   1,252   24.0    1,309   25.1 
              Transportation and warehousing.....   4,043     976   24.2    1,031   25.5    4,379   1,024   23.4    1,071   24.4 
              Utilities..........................     850     241   28.4      256   30.1      833     228   27.4      239   28.6 
          Information (3)........................   3,058     433   14.2      470   15.4    2,934     398   13.6      422   14.4 
              Publishing, except Internet........     778      52    6.7       59    7.6      765      68    8.8       74    9.7 
              Motion pictures and sound                                                                                          
               recording.........................     329      52   15.7       54   16.4      277      42   15.0       43   15.5 
              Broadcasting, except Internet......     502      47    9.3       53   10.5      534      46    8.6       48    9.0 
              Telecommunications.................   1,218     273   22.4      292   24.0    1,096     234   21.4      248   22.6 
          Financial activities...................   8,490     171    2.0      209    2.5    8,619     195    2.3      238    2.8 
              Finance and insurance..............   6,301      96    1.5      124    2.0    6,304     102    1.6      132    2.1 
                   Finance.......................   4,111      56    1.4       73    1.8    4,114      59    1.4       77    1.9 
                   Insurance.....................   2,191      40    1.8       51    2.3    2,190      44    2.0       54    2.5 
              Real estate and rental and                                                                                         
               leasing...........................   2,188      76    3.5       85    3.9    2,315      92    4.0      107    4.6 
          Professional and business services.....  10,815     246    2.3      306    2.8   10,951     292    2.7      341    3.1 
              Professional and technical                                                                                         
               services..........................   6,263      70    1.1      102    1.6    6,468      98    1.5      120    1.9 
              Management, administrative, and                                                                                    
               waste services....................   4,552     177    3.9      204    4.5    4,483     194    4.3      221    4.9 
          Education and health services..........  16,870   1,405    8.3    1,593    9.4   17,357   1,434    8.3    1,632    9.4 
              Educational services...............   3,243     421   13.0      475   14.6    3,312     435   13.1      511   15.4 
              Health care and social                                                                                             
               assistance........................  13,627     984    7.2    1,119    8.2   14,045     999    7.1    1,121    8.0 
          Leisure and hospitality................  10,326     319    3.1      368    3.6   10,658     333    3.1      377    3.5 
              Arts, entertainment, and                                                                                           
               recreation........................   1,777     114    6.4      123    6.9    1,869     118    6.3      134    7.2 
              Accommodation and food services....   8,548     205    2.4      245    2.9    8,790     215    2.4      243    2.8 
                  Accommodation..................   1,431     117    8.2      132    9.2    1,459     122    8.3      130    8.9 
                  Food services and drinking                                                                                     
                   places........................   7,117      88    1.2      112    1.6    7,331      93    1.3      113    1.5 
          Other services (3).....................   5,556     158    2.8      183    3.3    5,596     181    3.2      194    3.5 
              Other services, except private                                                                                     
               households........................   4,782     148    3.1      172    3.6    4,799     175    3.7      188    3.9 
                                                                                                                                 
     Public sector...............................  19,970   7,267   36.4    8,131   40.7   20,381   7,430   36.5    8,262   40.5 
         Federal goverment.......................   3,298     985   29.9    1,153   35.0    3,427     954   27.8    1,134   33.1 
         State government........................   5,712   1,751   30.7    1,961   34.3    5,874   1,838   31.3    2,056   35.0 
         Local government........................  10,961   4,532   41.3    5,017   45.8   11,080   4,638   41.9    5,071   45.8 

       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 Includes other industries, not shown separately.
       NOTE:  Beginning in January 2005, data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey.  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.





     Table 4.  Median weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by union affiliation, occupation, and industry
                                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                 
                                                                    2004                                    2005                 
                                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                 
               Occupation and industry                       Members    Repre                        Members    Repre-           
                                                                of      sented     Non-                 of      sented     Non-  
                                                    Total     unions      by      union     Total     unions      by      union  
                                                               (1)      unions                         (1)      unions           
                                                                         (2)                                     (2)             
                                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                 
                      OCCUPATION                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                 
     Management, professional, and related                                                                                       
      occupations................................     $918      $921      $916      $918      $937      $942      $937      $937 
         Management, business, and financial                                                                                     
          operations occupations.................      965       963       972       965       997     1,015     1,029       995 
             Management occupations..............    1,052     1,065     1,074     1,050     1,083     1,137     1,146     1,076 
             Business and financial operations                                                                                   
              occupations........................      847       880       881       844       871       854       866       872 
         Professional and related occupations....      883       915       907       875       902       932       924       894 
             Computer and mathematical                                                                                           
              occupations........................    1,114     1,000       983     1,124     1,132     1,009     1,029     1,141 
             Architecture and engineering                                                                                        
              occupations........................    1,098     1,080     1,090     1,100     1,105     1,133     1,133     1,101 
             Life, physical, and social science                                                                                  
              occupations........................      957       949       977       955       965       978     1,011       959 
             Community and social services                                                                                       
              occupations........................      707       827       817       666       725       880       865       693 
             Legal occupations...................    1,070     1,174     1,155     1,058     1,052     1,147     1,155     1,042 
             Education, training, and library                                                                                    
              occupations........................      781       899       886       687       798       913       898       710 
             Arts, design, entertainment, sports,                                                                                
              and media occupations..............      768       953       972       754       819       983       925       808 
             Healthcare practitioner and                                                                                         
              technical occupations..............      852       938       933       841       878       932       932       867 
     Service occupations.........................      411       655       647       389       413       643       629       392 
         Healthcare support occupations..........      407       458       462       401       410       466       462       405 
         Protective service occupations..........      700       907       897       567       678       896       886       568 
         Food preparation and serving related                                                                                    
          occupations............................      360       445       435       355       356       439       442       350 
         Building and grounds cleaning and                                                                                       
          maintenance occupations................      385       515       513       368       394       528       518       378 
         Personal care and service occupations...      402       522       518       394       409       558       549       397 
     Sales and office occupations................      558       662       658       545       575       681       675       562 
         Sales and related occupations...........      604       576       577       606       622       623       625       622 
         Office and administrative support                                                                                       
          occupations............................      535       676       671       519       550       689       682       528 
     Natural resources, construction, and                                                                                        
      maintenance occupations....................      621       867       858       581       623       910       903       585 
         Farming, fishing, and forestry                                                                                          
          occupations............................      356       (3)       (3)       352       372       (3)       (3)       369 
         Construction and extraction                                                                                             
          occupations............................      604       861       852       555       604       913       903       554 
         Installation, maintenance, and repair                                                                                   
          occupations............................      704       886       880       662       705       915       913       666 
     Production, transportation, and material                                                                                    
      moving occupations.........................      523       687       681       498       540       709       704       510 
         Production occupations..................      526       681       674       503       538       698       693       511 
         Transportation and material moving                                                                                      
          occupations............................      520       695       689       491       543       721       717       508 


                       INDUSTRY                                                                                                  


     Private sector..............................     $615      $739      $734      $604      $625      $757      $752      $615 
       Agriculture and related industries........      403       (3)       (3)       402       402       (3)       (3)       402 
       Nonagricultural industries................      617       740       735       606       629       758       753       617 
          Mining.................................      874       905       911       865       885       (3)       989       870 
          Construction...........................      618       893       884       588       619       933       926       590 
          Manufacturing..........................      662       694       692       654       676       722       719       667 
              Durable goods......................      691       707       706       687       704       751       747       695 
              Nondurable goods...................      611       670       662       602       624       676       672       618 
          Wholesale and retail trade.............      550       596       590       547       566       615       610       562 
              Wholesale trade....................      677       722       709       674       692       678       676       694 
              Retail trade.......................      509       567       560       507       515       590       585       513 
          Transportation and utilities...........      711       854       850       662       726       864       860       676 
              Transportation and warehousing.....      668       819       814       619       688       829       827       640 
              Utilities..........................      957       979       978       948       941       960       954       931 
          Information (4)........................      828       893       887       808       832       931       925       810 
              Publishing, except Internet........      720       844       829       710       755       860       867       740 
              Motion pictures and sound                                                                                          
               recording.........................      805       (3)       (3)       762       751       (3)       (3)       691 
              Broadcasting, except Internet......      763       (3)       (3)       749       749       (3)       (3)       738 
              Telecommunications.................      918       910       897       929       927       937       935       923 
          Financial activities...................      706       657       649       708       741       698       696       743 
              Finance and insurance..............      738       636       629       740       765       692       696       767 
                   Finance.......................      735       606       616       737       765       650       667       768 
                   Insurance.....................      743       (3)       (3)       744       764       (3)       (3)       766 
              Real estate and rental and                                                                                         
               leasing...........................      615       677       670       613       653       711       696       649 
          Professional and business services.....      709       679       694       710       739       663       673       743 
              Professional and technical                                                                                         
               services..........................      927       940       937       927       961       770       858       963 
              Management, administrative, and                                                                                    
               waste services....................      478       607       606       470       488       586       578       485 
          Education and health services..........      613       717       728       603       627       731       736       617 
              Educational services...............      716       828       831       679       737       818       809       718 
              Health care and social                                                                                             
               assistance........................      595       656       671       588       607       684       692       601 
          Leisure and hospitality................      407       518       508       402       409       513       510       405 
              Arts, entertainment, and                                                                                           
               recreation........................      523       677       662       513       521       652       618       515 
              Accommodation and food services....      391       477       473       387       388       487       486       384 
                  Accommodation..................      432       481       490       422       455       515       510       438 
                  Food services and drinking                                                                                     
                   places........................      378       467       422       377       372       400       406       372 
          Other services (4).....................      528       749       750       521       535       694       698       524 
              Other services, except private                                                                                     
               households........................      560       764       764       551       579       698       701       572 
                                                                                                                                 
     Public sector...............................      751       832       827       683       758       850       842       692 
         Federal goverment.......................      856       840       848       869       882       873       879       887 
         State government........................      725       788       781       681       733       802       798       684 
         Local government........................      731       844       834       627       738       858       844       633 

       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.
       4 Includes other industries, not shown separately.
       NOTE:  Beginning in January 2005, data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey.  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.
 




     Table 5. Union affiliation of employed wage and salary workers by state
     
     (Numbers in thousands)
                                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                 
                                                                    2004                                    2005                 
                                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                 
                                                             Members of     Represented              Members of     Represented  
                                                             unions (1)    by unions (2)             unions (1)    by unions (2) 
                        State                      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
                                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                 
       Alabama...................................   1,861     181    9.7      213   11.5    1,909     195   10.2      223   11.7 
       Alaska....................................     268      54   20.1       60   22.4      275      63   22.8       66   24.1 
       Arizona...................................   2,323     145    6.3      183    7.9    2,366     145    6.1      181    7.7 
       Arkansas..................................   1,058      51    4.8       65    6.2    1,138      54    4.8       68    6.0 
       California................................  14,414   2,385   16.5    2,588   18.0   14,687   2,424   16.5    2,610   17.8 
       Colorado..................................   2,050     172    8.4      191    9.3    2,052     170    8.3      193    9.4 
       Connecticut...............................   1,539     235   15.3      256   16.6    1,550     247   15.9      263   17.0 
       Delaware..................................     373      46   12.4       49   13.2      386      46   11.8       50   12.9 
       District of Columbia......................     258      33   12.7       38   14.5      259      29   11.3       33   12.8 
       Florida...................................   6,943     414    6.0      533    7.7    7,389     401    5.4      532    7.2 
                                                                                                                                 
       Georgia...................................   3,773     242    6.4      282    7.5    3,765     190    5.0      226    6.0 
       Hawaii....................................     533     126   23.7      132   24.8      545     141   25.8      145   26.7 
       Idaho.....................................     561      33    5.8       44    7.9      606      31    5.2       38    6.3 
       Illinois..................................   5,410     908   16.8      971   17.9    5,473     927   16.9      965   17.6 
       Indiana...................................   2,717     311   11.4      338   12.4    2,789     346   12.4      368   13.2 
       Iowa......................................   1,345     141   10.5      171   12.7    1,369     157   11.5      185   13.5 
       Kansas....................................   1,223     103    8.4      132   10.8    1,210      85    7.0      115    9.5 
       Kentucky..................................   1,699     164    9.6      197   11.6    1,696     164    9.7      184   10.8 
       Louisiana.................................   1,697     129    7.6      157    9.3    1,778     114    6.4      132    7.4 
       Maine.....................................     564      64   11.3       74   13.2      582      69   11.9       79   13.6 
                                                                                                                                 
       Maryland..................................   2,502     272   10.9      313   12.5    2,530     337   13.3      379   15.0 
       Massachusetts.............................   2,920     393   13.5      430   14.7    2,886     402   13.9      431   14.9 
       Michigan..................................   4,305     930   21.6      966   22.4    4,288     880   20.5      916   21.4 
       Minnesota.................................   2,429     424   17.5      443   18.3    2,494     392   15.7      410   16.4 
       Mississippi...............................   1,108      53    4.8       70    6.3    1,089      77    7.1      105    9.7 
       Missouri..................................   2,546     315   12.4      357   14.0    2,532     290   11.5      319   12.6 
       Montana...................................     366      43   11.7       46   12.6      391      42   10.7       48   12.2 
       Nebraska..................................     831      69    8.3       83   10.0      830      69    8.3       79    9.5 
       Nevada....................................   1,006     126   12.5      144   14.3    1,051     145   13.8      158   15.1 
       New Hampshire.............................     618      61    9.9       68   11.0      627      65   10.4       72   11.5 
                                                                                                                                 
       New Jersey................................   3,769     745   19.8      813   21.6    3,868     791   20.5      838   21.7 
       New Mexico................................     734      49    6.7       65    8.9      777      63    8.1       83   10.7 
       New York..................................   7,901   1,996   25.3    2,085   26.4    8,008   2,090   26.1    2,201   27.5 
       North Carolina............................   3,549      97    2.7      127    3.6    3,631     107    2.9      143    3.9 
       North Dakota..............................     292      22    7.7       26    9.0      289      21    7.3       26    9.2 
       Ohio......................................   4,998     759   15.2      820   16.4    5,039     804   16.0      866   17.2 
       Oklahoma..................................   1,402      86    6.1      100    7.1    1,432      77    5.4       91    6.4 
       Oregon....................................   1,471     224   15.2      243   16.5    1,470     213   14.5      231   15.7 
       Pennsylvania..............................   5,298     793   15.0      842   15.9    5,456     753   13.8      818   15.0 
       Rhode Island..............................     487      79   16.3       83   17.0      494      79   15.9       83   16.8 
                                                                                                                                 
       South Carolina............................   1,765      54    3.0       74    4.2    1,739      40    2.3       58    3.3 
       South Dakota..............................     347      21    6.0       27    7.7      350      21    5.9       29    8.2 
       Tennessee.................................   2,465     164    6.7      191    7.7    2,368     128    5.4      156    6.6 
       Texas.....................................   9,072     457    5.0      573    6.3    9,485     506    5.3      590    6.2 
       Utah......................................   1,001      58    5.8       67    6.7    1,035      51    4.9       63    6.1 
       Vermont...................................     291      29    9.8       33   11.4      287      31   10.8       37   13.0 
       Virginia..................................   3,308     176    5.3      218    6.6    3,406     165    4.8      211    6.2 
       Washington................................   2,645     510   19.3      536   20.3    2,746     523   19.1      559   20.4 
       West Virginia.............................     700      99   14.2      110   15.7      688      99   14.4      107   15.5 
       Wisconsin.................................   2,597     414   16.0      439   16.9    2,551     410   16.1      438   17.2 
       Wyoming...................................     222      18    8.0       22    9.8      228      18    7.9       22    9.5 

       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.
       NOTE:  Beginning in January 2004, data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey.  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.