February 22, 2011

Connecticut Union Membership Declines in 2010

According to a study published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the percentage of Connecticut’s wage and salary workers who were members of a union declined from 17.3% in 2009, to 16.7% in 2010. Nationally, union membership declined from 15.3 million (12.3%) in 2009 to 14.7 million (11.9%) in 2010. The study also found that 7.6 million of the nation’s 14.7 million union members worked in the public sector, and that 36.2% of public sector workers belonged to unions. In contrast, 6.9% of private sector workers belonged to unions. Among full-time wage and salary workers, the median usual weekly earnings of union members were $200 more than those not represented by unions.