Forecast For Unions Sees Fewer Employees Available To Organize

According to the Labor Research Association (LRA), a union-backed think group, organizing workers and bargaining for wage and benefit improvements will become more difficult over the next decade, as labor market trends continue to undercut the unionized sectors and job growth occurs primarily at the lower end of the wage spectrum.

Industries with the highest rates of unionization (including air transportation, steel production and motor vehicles) will all see heavy job losses by 2014.  Industries with the lowest rates of unionization, such as food services and computer services, will see double-digit job growth.

Instead of a widespread labor shortage, LRA predicts a continuation of tight markets for employees with highly specialized skills and for workers with the basic skills needed to perform in low-end service occupations.  In the relatively higher-wage blue-collar manufacturing, construction and utilities industries, there will be no overall job growth over the next decade.  In fact, manufacturing and utilities will lose jobs.

If you have any questions regarding unions in your workplace, please contact Jack Lipovac or Clint Davis at HR-OneSource (515) 221-1718, lipovacj@hr-onesource.com or davisc@hr-onesource.com.