Union Issues

Falling Union Membership Prompting Mergers

In a quest to strengthen their power at the bargaining table, American labor unions are merging with one another, report observers. The merger movement comes at a time when fewer and fewer workers are being attracted to union ranks.

Within the past five years, 18 unions affiliated with the AFL-CIO have combined -- compared with 10 mergers in the five years before that. Today 78 unions belong to the big union conglomerate.

Over the next several years, the United Auto Workers, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, and the United Steelworkers of America may combine -- if details can be worked out. Such a merger would form the nation's largest union, with two million members.

While in the 1950s and '60s unions represented about 35 percent of workers, that share has declined to 14.5 percent.

Here are some of the biggest recent mergers:

  • In June, the Communications Workers of America joined forces with the Newspaper Guild -- three years after the CWA merged with the National Association of Broadcast Employees and Technicians, for a total membership of 630,000.

  • In 1995, the International Ladies' Garment Workers Union and the Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers Union hooked up to form the new 300,000 member Union of Needletrades, Industrial and Textile Employees.

  • Over the past several years, the United Steelworkers combined with the Rubber Workers Union and the Aluminum, Brick and Glassworkers Union for a total membership of 740,000.

Experts say the shrinking unions often don't have the financial backing needed for successful recruiting drives or the ability to withstand long strikes.

Herbert R. Northrup of the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School says it takes about 500,000 members to make any union financially strong -- a level few unions can now claim.

Source: Laura M. Litvan, "Unions Have an Urge to Merge," Investor's Business Daily, August 8, 1997.

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