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Feb. 5, 2010:NWLP 2/2/10 9:47 AM Page 9 Bureau of Labor Statistics report: Union membership dropped by 771,000 in 2009 WASHINGTON, D.C.— With the economy hemorrhaging jobs — almost 3.3 million jobs lost in 2009 — the lat- est figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) show union member- ship in 2009 dropped slightly, from 12.4 percent of the workforce to 12.3 percent. Nationwide, union membership dropped by 771,000, to 15.3 million in 2009, according to the BLS. The recession eliminated jobs across the private sector, but was felt most deeply in manufacturing, trans- portation and construction — the most heavily unionized sectors of the na- tion’s economy. “The loss in union membership,” said AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka, “is another indicator of the terrible toll the economic crisis is tak- ing on the nation’s middle class — not just union members.” In the state-by-state breakdown, Washington ranked No. 4 in terms of union density in 2009, with the state’s 574,000 union members accounting for 20.2 percent of the overall workforce. The union-density percentage rose slightly from 19.8 percent in 2008, as total jobs in Washington dropped 65,000 and the number of union mem- bers dropped 4,000. Oregon ranked 11th in union den- sity, with its 250,000 union members accounting for 17 percent of the work- force (up 0.4 percent from 2008). Total jobs in Oregon dropped 95,000 and the number of union members dropped 9,000. Only New York (25.2 percent), Hawaii (23.5 percent) and Alaska (22.3 percent) have higher unionization rates than Washington. “While I’m very encouraged that Washington remains one of the most unionized states in the country, polls show that many more workers would like to gain a voice at work by forming a union, but they can’t,” said Rick Ben- der, president of the Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO. “Outdated labor laws allow employers to coerce, threaten and fire workers who support unionization, with relative impunity. That’s why passage of the Employee Free Choice Act is so important.” The data on union membership were collected as part of the Current Population Survey (CPS). The CPS is a monthly sample survey of about 60,000 households that obtains information on employment among the nation’s civil- ian noninstitutional population age 16 and over. Some highlights about the union workforce in the BLS survey included: • Unionized workers still far out- earn their nonunion colleagues, and the gap is widening. The median weekly salary for union members last year — the point at which half are above that dollar figure and half below — was $908, up $22 from the year before. The median for nonunion workers was $710 in 2009, up $19 from 2008. • The “wage gap” between men and women is narrower for union members than for everyone else — and it’s clos- ing for union women while widening for nonunion women. The median weekly wage for union women last year was $840, almost 88 percent of the $957 median for union men. In 2008, union women earned 86 percent of what union men earned. The median weekly wage gap among non- Employees at Kaiser Permanente in Los Angeles leave SEIU for new union LOS ANGELES (PAI) — Three groups of health care workers at Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Med- ical Center voted Jan. 26 to leave Service Employees International Union for the newly created and inde- pendent National Union of Healthcare Workers. SEIU has represented the more than 2,000 registered nurses, psychi- atric counselors, social workers and health care professionals for the past 30 years. Final tallies in the National Labor Relations Board-monitored elections showed registered nurses voted 746- 36 for NUHW, while health care pro- fessionals went for the independent union by a 189-29 margin. Psychiatric counselors and social workers favored NUHW 717-192. Elsewhere in California, the Na- tional Union of Healthcare Workers has petitioned to hold elections at dozens of health care facilities where workers are currently represented by SEIU. SEIU has filed charges of unlawful conduct against NUHW and investi- gations of the charges by the NLRB blocked those elections. “Some charges have been withdrawn and those remaining are expected to be re- solved soon, clearing the way for fu- ture balloting between the two unions,” the NLRB said in its an- nouncement of the Los Angeles re- turns. Some 100-plus other Kaiser units — including more hospitals — could vote between now and June in repre- sentation contests involving 65,000 workers statewide. The National Union of Healthcare Workers victory in Los Angeles is part of a long battle over California health care workers, and over SEIU’s direc- tion at the national level. The conflict began several years ago when SEIU officials at the national level reached contract terms with various California hospitals, going over the head of its California affiliate, the 150,000-mem- ber United Health Care Workers-West. Affiliate President Sal Rosselli, then an SEIU vice president and Executive Board member, strongly protested what he called sweetheart contracts and how SEIU reached them without member input. Rosselli also chal- lenged top-down practices at SEIU. In response, SEIU put United Health Care Workers-West into trusteeship, uncovering what it said was evidence of misuse of union money. It ousted Rosselli and other officers. A hearing on the charges pro- duced no proof. The conflict led Rosselli, other officers, staffers and activists to leave SEIU and form the independent National Union of Healthcare Workers. union women versus nonunion men in 2009: $628 to $786. In 2009, nonunion women earned 79.9 percent of what nonunion men earned, down from 80.3 percent the year before. • More public sector employees (7.9 million) belonged to a union than did private sector employees (7.4 million). • Workers in education, training, and library occupations had the highest unionization rate at 38.1 percent. • Black workers were more likely to be union members than were white, Asian, or Hispanic workers. • Among states, New York had the highest union membership rate (25.2 percent) and North Carolina had the lowest rate (3.1 percent). • The biggest absolute increases in union numbers from 2008 to 2009 were in the South: Texas (+59,000, to 508,000), Georgia (+26,000, to 177,000), Virginia (+20,000, to 166,000), and Louisiana (+19,000, to 99,000). Union densities in those states still were all under 6 percent. • Women are catching up in union ranks: 13.3 percent of men are mem- bers of a union, compared to 11.3 per- cent of women. Last year, nearly 44 percent of all union members were women. “The gap between their rates has narrowed considerably since 1983, when the rate for men was about 10 percentage points higher than the rate for women. Between 1983 and 2009, the union membership rate for men de- clined by 11.4 percentage points, while the rate for women declined by 3.3 per- centage points,” BLS said. U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis said the data shows that, along with better wages, union members “have ac- cess to better health care, retirement and leave benefits. These numbers make it clear that union jobs are good jobs. These numbers show a need for Congress to pass legislation to level the playing field to enable more American workers to access the benefits of union membership.” (Editor’s Note: Press Associates Inc., the AFL-CIONow blog, and the WSLC Reports contributed to the re- port.) Soccer deal a good one for Portland workers A deal has been reached between the City of Portland and Portland Timbers’ owner Merritt Paulson’s Peregrine, LLC to turn PGE Park into a major league soc- cer stadium. Included in the $31 million pact is an agreement guaranteeing that the stadium will be built by workers who earn a family wage and get health and retirement ben- efits, and an agreement by the stadium operator to stay neutral during any union or- ganizing campaign. The City has set a goal of 30 percent minority-owned contrac- tors and 10 percent women-owned contractors on the redevelopment project. The City has committed $11.9 million in bonds to help pay for the changes. In a press release, Portland Mayor Sam Adams said the deal will “bring imme- diate construction jobs to Portland and continuing revenue, visitors, and vital spend- ing to Portland’s central city in the long term.” Renovating the stadium will create approximately 200 construction jobs. 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