How many union members are there, everywhere?

October 31, 2010 11:04 AM

What are some good sources that compare union density in the US and around the world?

I got to reading about France in the NYT this morning, and it noted that the French workforce is less than 10 percent unionized. Not that different than the United States.

This surprised me, and I'm wondering if AskMefites can point me in the direction of some online sources that compare union density. Again, within the U.S. (states, cities) and worldwide is what I'm looking for here.

posted by kensington314 to Society & Culture (6 answers total)

There was this on BBC News last week:

[The French] do not join unions like their comrades in neighbouring countries. According to the Federation of European Employers, about 30% of workers are in unions in Italy and Britain with slightly fewer in Germany - but still far more than in France - at only 9%. But they do manage to go on strike more.

posted by caek at 11:34 AM on October 31, 2010

In the Netherlands about 20 percent of workers are member of a union. This is down from 35% between 1950-1980. Especially young people don't see the benefits of union membership anymore: less than 8% of people younger than 25 are union members (source).
posted by davar at 12:32 PM on October 31, 2010

I'm not sure those data justify singling out young people. If I'm reading the graphs correctly, union membership among the 25-44 group has fallen by about the same (large) amount with respect to its 1999 levels as it has among the under-25s.
posted by caek at 12:49 PM on October 31, 2010

You should make sure you understand the difference between union density (workers who are union members) and union coverage (workers covered by a collective bargaining agreement, whether or not they are union members). In France about 90% of workers are covered by collective bargaining agreements, but for complex legal/historical reasons most of them don't actually join unions. There are links to sources of country data here, but many of the sources require a subscription.
Unionstats.com is the best source for density and coverage data in the US- broken down by state, sector, city, etc.
posted by cushie at 1:52 PM on October 31, 2010 [2 favorites]

Comprehensive figures for Australia over the last three decades are here, and there's a link to a more detailed journal article about international patterns.
posted by Fiasco da Gama at 5:12 PM on October 31, 2010

I am rushing out the door but I found stats for 2007 from Canada for you.
posted by saucysault at 4:53 AM on November 3, 2010