New York-New Jersey Information Office

For release Wednesday, Thursday, February 3, 2011	                      NYLS - 7470

Technical information:	Martin Kohli (646) 264-3620 • BLSInfoNY@bls.gov • www.bls.gov/ro2 
Media contact:		Michael L. Dolfman (212) 337-2500

          Union Membership in New York and New Jersey, 2010
                                   

In 2010, union members accounted for 24.2 percent of wage and salary

workers in New York and 17.1 percent in New Jersey, compared to 25.2
percent and 19.3 percent, respectively, in 2009, the U.S. Bureau of
Labor Statistics reported today.  Regional Commissioner Michael L.
Dolfman noted that union membership rates in 2010 were the lowest
rates recorded in both New York and New Jersey since 1995, when
State data were first comparable. (See chart 1 and table A.)
Despite reaching series lows, both states had union membership rates
above that for the nation in 2010, as union members accounted for
only 11.9 percent of employed wage and salary workers in the United
States.  New York's union membership rate was the highest in the
nation in 2010.



New York had 1,959,000 union members in 2010 and New Jersey, 637,000.
In addition to these members, another 140,000 wage and salary workers
in New York and 23,000 in New Jersey were represented by a union on
their main job or were covered by an employee association or contract
while not union members themselves.  (See table A.)  Nationwide, 14.7
million wage and salary workers were union members in 2010, and about
1.6 million wage and salary workers were non-members represented by a
union or covered by a contract.

In 2010, 31 states and the District of Columbia had union membership
rates below the U.S. average, 11.9 percent, while 19 had higher rates.
(See table 1.)  All states in the Middle Atlantic (which includes New
York and New Jersey) and Pacific divisions reported union membership
rates above the national average, and all states in the East South
Central and West South Central divisions had rates below it.  (See
chart 2.)  Union membership rates declined over the year in 33 states
(including New York and New Jersey) and the District of Columbia and
rose in 17 states.

Three states had union membership rates above 20 percent in 2010. New
York had the highest rate, followed by Alaska (22.9 percent) and
Hawaii (21.8 percent).  In fact, New York has had the highest
membership rate in the nation for 14 of the past 16 years. Eight
states had union membership rates below 5.0 percent, with North
Carolina having the lowest, 3.2 percent.  The next lowest rates were
recorded in Arkansas and Georgia (4.0 percent each), Louisiana (4.3
percent), Mississippi (4.5 percent), South Carolina and Virginia (4.6
percent each), and Tennessee (4.7 percent).

About half of the 14.7 million union members in the United States
lived in just six states (California, 2.4 million; New York, 2.0
million; Illinois and Pennsylvania, 0.8 million each; Ohio, 0.7
million; and New Jersey, 0.6 million), though these states accounted
for only one-third of wage and salary employment nationally.

State union membership levels depend on both the union membership rate
and the employment level.  For example, despite having 1.9 million
fewer wage and salary employees statewide, New York had four times as
many union members as Texas.  Similarly, New Jersey, with 58,000 fewer
wage and salary employees, had over four times as many union members
as Georgia.
                                
                            Technical Note

The estimates in this release are obtained from the Current Population
Survey (CPS), which provides the basic information on the labor force,
employment, and unemployment.  The survey is conducted monthly for the
Bureau of Labor Statistics by the U.S. Census Bureau from a
scientifically selected national sample of about 60,000 households.
The union membership and earnings data are tabulated from one-quarter
of the CPS monthly sample and are limited to wage and salary workers.
All self-employed workers are excluded.

Union membership data, particularly for levels, are not strictly
comparable with data for earlier years because of the introduction of
updated population controls used in the CPS.  These updated controls
have little or no effect on unemployment rates and other ratios, such
as union membership rates.  For technical documentation and related
information, including reliability of the CPS estimates, see
www.bls.gov/cps/documentation.htm.

For personal assistance or further information on union membership, as
well as other Bureau data, contact the New York Information Office at
646-264-3600 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
ET.  Information in this release will be made available to sensory
impaired individuals upon request.  Voice phone: 202-691-5200, Federal
Relay Service: 1-800-877-8339.

Definitions

The principal definitions used in this release are described briefly
below.

Union members.  Members of a labor union or an employee association
similar to a union.

Represented by unions.  Union members, as well as workers who have no
union affiliation but whose jobs are covered by a union or an employee
association contract.

Wage and salary workers.  Workers who receive wages, salaries,
commissions, tips, payment in kind, or piece rates.  The group
includes employees in both the private and public sectors, but, for
the purposes of the union membership and earnings series, excludes all
self-employed persons, regardless of whether or not their businesses
are incorporated.

Last Modified Date: February 3, 2011