Opinion Editorial | |
| Monday, February 23, 1998 | |
Union Membership Declines |
Recently, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released the latest data
on union membership (available at http://www.stats.bls.gov/newsrels.htm).
Once again, they show a decline in union membership, a trend that has been
almost continuous since the early 1950s.
There are many explanations for the decline of unionization, including
the decline of employment in industries, such as autos, where unions traditionally
have been strong; growing employment in services, such as retail trade,
where unions tend to be weak; and increasing internationalization of the
economy, which has made it harder for unions to maintain a wage premium.
Thus in 1983, union workers made 38.2 percent more than comparable nonunion
workers, but in 1997 they only made 33.9 percent more. The decline of unionization is a phenomenon that is not unique to the
U.S. Virtually every major country has experienced the same trend. For
example, according to the Paris-based Organization for Economic Cooperation
and Development (OECD), unionization has fallen from 36 percent of the labor
force in Germany in 1980 to 29 percent in 1994. In Great Britain, unionization
has fallen from 50 percent to 34 percent, and in France has fallen from
18 percent to just 9 percent over the same period. The unweighted average
for all OECD countries has fallen from 46 percent in 1980 to 40 percent
in 1994. However, even as unions decline in economic importance, they remain strong
politically. Indeed, their position in the Democratic Party has risen even
as their numbers have fallen. According to the Federal Election Commission,
union political action committees provided 47.6 percent of all contributions
to Democratic candidates for Congress in 1996, up from 33.9 percent in 1992.
This is a major explanation for the defeat of fast-track trade authority
last year, a key issue opposed by the unions. The growing importance of labor unions in the Democratic Party may have
important implications for the 2000 presidential race. It suggests that
labor's current candidate, House Democratic Leader Dick Gephardt, may have
an edge over Vice President Al Gore. However, Gore may benefit from the
growing importance of government employees within the union movement. In
1997, such workers represented 36.7 percent of all union members, compared
to 16.3 percent for manufacturing workers. Assuming that the former are
more likely to support Gore and the latter to support Gephardt, Gore may
still end up being labor's choice. Source: Bruce Bartlett (senior fellow, National Center for Policy Analysis),
February 18, 1998.
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