ALBANY— The percentage of New York workers represented by unions rose slightly in 2007, according to new data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The data found that the percentage of workers represented by a union
increased from 25.2 percent of New York's workforce in 2006 to 26.3
percent in 2007. The data include the number of workers who claim membership
in a union or employee association as well as workers who report no affiliation
but whose jobs are covered by union or association contract.
Nationwide, the number of employees represented by unions increased by
only 0.2 percent, from 13.1 in 2006 to 13.3 in 2007.
The data also showed that more of New York's workforce is represented by unions then any other state in the nation. The BLS reported that “Texas had less than one-quarter as many union members as New York despite having over 1.7 million more wage and salary employees.”
A table showing union representation by state has been added to Just
the Facts, The Business Council's compendium of data on key economic
indicators. Just the Facts is available at www.ppinys.org/reports/JustTheFacts.html.