Survey finds deep shift in the makeup of unions
A study by the Center for Economic Policy Research found that the composition of US labor unions has changed significantly from the glory days of the UAW and the Steelworkers union. According to the study, labor today is "far less blue-collar and factory-based" than it once was - women will soon dominate the union scene, only 1 in 10 union members is in manufacturing, many more union members come from the public sector. However, labor is overall, declining. The UAW for example has only about 500,000 members, when it boasted 1.5 million just 25 years ago. Union leaders have found both good and bad things about the study - encouraged by increased gender and racial diversity, but aware that labor needs to address its declining membership. The AFL-CIO has endorsed the Employee Free Choice Act as a critical event in preserving labor prowess.
See "Survey finds deep shift in the makeup of unions", Steven Greenhouse, The New York Times, November 10, 2009