U.S. Labor Force Labor Supply Essay

This is reflected in the fact that over the past 12 months, average hourly earnings have only increased by 1.8%. Additionally, union membership has declined. The BLS reports that the union membership rate -- the percent of wage and salary workers who were members of a union -- was 11.9%, down from 12.3% a year earlier. In 1983, the first year for which comparable union data are available, the union membership rate was 20.1%, and there were 17.7 million union workers. Union jobs typically are higher paying jobs. According to the BLS, union members had median usual weekly earnings of $917, while those who were not represented by unions had median weekly earnings of $717. One reason for the decline in union membership is the decline in public sector employment, especially in education.References:

U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2011). Employment situation summary. Retrieved from http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.nr0.htm.

U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2011). Union membership annual news release. Retrieved from….....