AP and AFL-CIO Never Heard of Rounding
The Associated Press story on the annual Bureau of Labor Statistics union membership report went out with this headline and lede:
"Long-declining union membership levels off at 12.5 percent of work force
"WASHINGTON - Long-declining union membership leveled off last year at 12.5 percent of the work force, the Labor Department said Friday in a report labor leaders called encouraging."
Later wire stories cut off the end of the headline, leaving "Long-declining union membership levels off."
But, as EIA reported last Friday, the "leveling off" was only an effect of BLS rounding to the nearest tenth of a percentage point. The union membership rate declined in 2005 from 12.52 to 12.46 percent.
Here's a better way to understand the continuing decline. The U.S. economy employed 2,335,000 more workers in 2005 than in 2004. Only 213,000 of these new workers -- 9.1 percent -- became union members.
Examining just the private sector makes the picture starker: Of the 1,924,000 new private sector workers in 2005, only 50,000 -- 2.6 percent -- joined a union.
"Long-declining union membership levels off at 12.5 percent of work force
"WASHINGTON - Long-declining union membership leveled off last year at 12.5 percent of the work force, the Labor Department said Friday in a report labor leaders called encouraging."
Later wire stories cut off the end of the headline, leaving "Long-declining union membership levels off."
But, as EIA reported last Friday, the "leveling off" was only an effect of BLS rounding to the nearest tenth of a percentage point. The union membership rate declined in 2005 from 12.52 to 12.46 percent.
Here's a better way to understand the continuing decline. The U.S. economy employed 2,335,000 more workers in 2005 than in 2004. Only 213,000 of these new workers -- 9.1 percent -- became union members.
Examining just the private sector makes the picture starker: Of the 1,924,000 new private sector workers in 2005, only 50,000 -- 2.6 percent -- joined a union.
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