A study co-authored by sociology professors at the CUNY Graduate Center found that women and minorities make up as much as 77 percent of the unionized, New York City workforce. Women's growing representation in unions is attributed to the relative decline of the manufacturing sector and expansion of health care and education- largely female dominated professions. Non-Latino blacks account for the largest unionized racial group in the city, as many workers belonging to the demographic are launched in the transit industry. The authors of the study linked the demographic diversity of NYC unions to splintering union support for mayoral candidates.
See "New York City's unionized workers are mostly minorities, a study shows", Patrick McGeehan, The New York Times, September 3, 2013