NPR: 50 Years Of Shrinking Union Membership, In One Map

[Omaha Steve]

X post in Labor & GD

http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2015/02/23/385843576/50-years-of-shrinking-union-membership-in-one-map

FEBRUARY 23, 201511:04 AM ET

Fifty years ago, nearly a third of U.S. workers belonged to a union. Today, it's one in 10. But the decline has not been the same for every state. Here is a map showing how union membership has changed across the country.

A few notes on the map:

In 1964, the Midwest was full of manufacturing jobs and had the highest concentration of union workers in America. That has changed dramatically — both because the share of jobs in manufacturing has fallen, and because fewer of the manufacturing jobs that remain are held by union workers.

New York has the highest share of union workers in the country. The main story here is the public sector: 71 percent of government workers in New York state belong to unions. Nationwide, 36 percent of government employees are in unions, compared to just 7 percent of workers in the private sector.

FULL story and map at link.

[guillaumeb]

1. You do not understand Omaha Steve that unions are not needed

in today's economy. The National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) was passed in 1935 to guarantee the rights of workers to collectively bargain. Are you telling your readers that 80 years after the NLRA was passed that workers are still prevented from exercising those rights?

This is 2015. Surely the huge gulf between the pay of the Capitalists and the pay of the workers has been eliminated by now. Why, back in the 1920's the richest 10% owned about 70% of the nation's assets.

What percentage of the nation's wealth is owned by the top 10% today. What!!! 80% of all financial assets are owned by the top 10%. Where did I read that you ask? In that well known Marxist publication Forbes magazine.

Back to the future we go.