Unions Gain Members In Public Sector

Unions representing government workers are expanding while organized labor has been shedding private sector members over the past
half-century.
 
A majority of union members today now have ties to a government entity _ at the federal, state or local levels.
 
Roughly 1-in-3 public sector workers is a union member, compared with about 1-in-15 for the private sector workforce last year. That's according to the
Bureau of Labor Statistics.
 
Overall, 11.3 percent of U.S. wage and salary workers are unionized, down from a peak of 35 percent during the mid-1950s.
 
The typical union worker now is more likely to be an educator, office worker or
food or service industry employee rather than a construction worker, autoworker,
electrician or mechanic. Far more women than men are among the union-label
ranks.