A Labor Department report shows that union membership in private companies fell from 7.2% in 2009 to 6.9% in 2010. The Labor Department said that the recession helped the number shrink, and also pointed to the construction industry, where membership fell from 14.5% to 13.1%. Unions represent 36.2% of public workers. The Labor Department report follows the same trend as it has since 1983, when it began keeping track of union membership.
See "Union Membership in Companies Slumps to Record Low 6.9% in 2010", Holly Rosenkrantz, Bloomberg News, January 20, 2011