Unions see sharp membership declines again

[The Northerner]

WASHINGTON (AP) — The nation's labor unions saw another steep decline in membership last year, even as the economy showed signs of recovery and job losses slowed.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on Friday that unions lost 612,000 members in 2010, dropping the unionized share of the work force to 11.9 percent from 12.3 percent in 2009. That follows a loss of 771,000 workers in 2008, continuing a steady decline from the 1950s when more than a third of workers belonged to unions.

The news comes as union officials are pressing President Barack Obama and other leaders to invest more money in infrastructure projects like repairing highways and bridges to help stimulate the economy and create new jobs. That plea is meeting stiff resistance from Republicans intent on cutting spending sharply to pare back the rising national debt.

Union membership in the private sector fell from 7.2 percent to 6.9 percent, a low point not seen since the infancy of the labor movement in the 1930s. The steepest decline was seen in the construction industry, where unemployment remains around 20 percent.

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[Unrepentant Fenian]

1. That's because...

A lot of people lost their Union membership when they lost their jobs. It doesn't show a dissatisfaction with Unions. The construction industry is still suffering, it will improve with time.

[defendandprotect]

2. Why not? Obama/Duncan are privatizing public education ...

and with it one of the largest unions ever -- teacher's union!

We expect this from the GOP/right wing -- why is President Obama

doing this?

[Poboy]

3. Any blunt, honest answer to this question will be promptly deleted.

[Smarmie Doofus]

5. +1 What you said. ^

[patrice]

4. People fear for their jobs, either the ones they have, or the ones they hope to have. At Will Employ

ment makes it possible for employers to do A - N - Y - T - H - I - N - G .

Labor has NO legal recourse.