Union Membership Declines Slightly in 2019, Continuing Decades-Old Trend

The union membership rate for public-sector workers fell slightly nationwide in 2019, as did membership for private-sector workers. So it remains unclear what impact the landmark Supreme Court decision in the Janus case may be having on union membership rates, according to analysis by Politico.

2019 was the first full calendar year following the high court’s June 27, 2018, Janus vs. AFSCME ruling, which prohibited unions from collecting fair share fees from workers who decline union membership yet benefit from being part of the bargaining unit.

On January 22, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics released year-end 2019 data for union membership. Overall, 10.3% of the nation’s workers were union members, reflecting a decline of 0.2% from 2018, although the number of wage and salary workers in unions remained at about 14.6 million. The rate continued a decades-long decline.

“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,” the BLS stated.

For the public sector, union membership was 33.6%, a reduction of 0.3% from 2018. The rate was more than five times greater than the rate for private-sector workers (6.2%). The rate of union representation in the public sector (including members and non-members who are part of bargaining units) was 37.2% which is about the same as it was in 2018.

The highest union member rates by employment sector were in protective service operations (33.8%) and education, training, and library occupations (33.1%). The rate for men was 10.8%, and for women was 9.7%. African-American workers, with an 11.2% member rate, “remained more likely to be union members than white, Asian, or Hispanic workers,” the BLS stated, although the rate for African-Americans declined from 12.5% to 11.2% year-to-year.

Geographically, “over half of the 14.6 union members in the U.S. lived in just seven states,” including California, New York, Illinois, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Ohio, and Washington, although those states accounted for only about one-third of the nation’s employees.

Nonunion workers had median weekly earnings that were 19% less than union members.

Poultry Processing Plant Death Focuses Attention on Production Line Speeds

Following the death of a worker at a poultry packing plant in Alabama, a U.S. House member has called upon the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to investigate whether excessive production line speed played a role in the death.

In a letter to Deputy Assistant Secretary for Labor Lauren Sweatt, U.S. Rep. Rose DeLauro cited the “appalling track record on workplace safety” at the Pilgrim’s Pride plant in Guntersville, Alabama, as well as an April 2019 decision by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to grant the company a special waiver on federal production line speed regulations.

“Increased line speeds can impact all workers in the plant, and, as you are aware, there is a growing body of data documenting the association between faster line speeds and worker injuries,” the Congresswoman wrote. “I have concerns regarding the agency’s commitment to investigating this matter, in light of the fact that OSHA currently has the fewest number of inspectors in recent history.”

DeLauro is chair of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education.

AL.com, the Birmingham News website, identified the fatally injured worker as Gabriel “Seth” Brutley, 35, who fell while riding a lift designed for freight, but not for humans. Few additional details have been revealed.

A National Employment Law Project (NELP) official told the news agency that poultry processing plants have higher-than-average rates of worker injuries and that several reports of serious injuries at the same plant have been filed with OSHA.

“Records … show four workers have suffered major injuries at the Pilgrim’s Pride plant in Guntersville since 2016,” the news agency reported.

Of the latest incident, a plant spokeswoman reportedly said, “Line speeds … in no way impacted this incident, as it did not occur on the production floor.”

The NELP official noted that increased line speeds put additional pressure on all workers.

In February 2016, the tip of a worker’s thumb was amputated by a piece of machinery. In July 2017, a worker tripped over a stand and broke his hip. In January 2018, a machine amputated the thumb of a worker as he was performing maintenance on the device. In March 2019, an ammonia leak triggered a fire and evacuation. One month later, the U.S. Department of Agriculture gave the plant permission to increase its poultry slaughter line speed from 140 birds per minute to 175 birds.

Scranton Teachers Call for Environmental Testing as Wolf Develops Statewide Plan to Fix Schools

The environmental scientist who has spearheaded the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers’ testing for asbestos and other environmental hazards in the city’s more than 200 public schools has agreed to conduct similar testing at Scranton’s public schools.

The Times-Tribune reported that PFT leaders heard of reports about potential environmental problems in Scranton schools, so Jerry Roseman, the PFT Health and Welfare Fund’s director of environmental science, offered to help at no cost to the Scranton Federation of Teachers.

“I’m thrilled. The teachers are very anxious at this point,” SFT President Rosemary Boland told the news agency. “It’s another set of eyes to help us out.”

The two local unions are working on a testing schedule.

In Philadelphia, the PFT has sued the public school district calling for systematic and collaborative testing and remediation of environmental at all school buildings. The district has closed six schools (including one building on two occasions) this academic year due to positive tests for hazardous asbestos. The substance was detected in the air inside at least one other building, but the district did not close the facility, claiming that the hazard was contained within an unoccupied area.

The Philadelphia school district has stated that it needs $170 million in additional funding over the next five years to address environmental concerns in its aging buildings, 80% of which were built before the late 1970s, when restrictions on the use of asbestos in construction were adopted.

On January 8, Senator Tartaglione convened a summit of local, state, and federal elected officials, organized labor officials, and school officials to discuss ways to respond to the toxic schools crisis not only in Philadelphia, but statewide.

On January 24, the Associated Press reported that the Wolf administration has said it is developing a plan “to help deal with aging school buildings plagued by environmental problems, including lead paint and asbestos insulation.”

The governor’s office reportedly told the news service, “Gov. Wolf remains committed to putting significant resources to protect kids from these harmful contaminants and will be proposing a new comprehensive plan in the near future.”

Mark DiRocco, executive director of the Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators, told the AP that every geographic region of the state is facing environmental issues caused by old school buildings. In addition to asbestos and lead paint, some schools have mold problems, he said.

December 2019 PA Jobs Update

Pennsylvania’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rose for a fourth consecutive month in December 2019 to 4.5%, up 0.2% from November’s rate of 4.3%, marking its highest point since February 2018. Over the month, unemployment rolls increased by nearly 11,000 individuals, with total unemployment rising above 290,000. State unemployment statistics for the month are as follows:

• Total Unemployment – 292,675
• Change Over Month –   UP   10,787
• Change Over Year –   UP   22,174
• Change Over Gov. Wolf 1st Term –   DOWN   78,565
• Change Over Gov. Wolf to Date –   DOWN   52,189
• Rate Change Over Month – UP 0.2%
• Rate Change Over Year –   UP   0.3%
• Rate Change Over Gov. Wolf 1st Term –   DOWN   1.3%
• Rate Change Over Gov. Wolf to Date –   DOWN   0.9%

As indicated above, total unemployment’s rounded percentage of the labor force, or unemployment rate, rose over the month (rate = unemployment / labor force). The labor force is the number of employed individuals combined with the number of unemployed individuals actively searching for work. Labor force growth can be a sign of a strengthening economy from more people working and/or more individuals searching for jobs. In December 2019, PA’s labor force rose for a sixth consecutive month, increasing by 17,310 individuals, a combination of total employment* rising by 6,523 and unemployment up by 10,787 as noted above. The labor force in December 2019 stood at a new record of high of 6.551 million.
Over Governor Wolf’s first term, the state’s labor force grew by 58,755 (employment +137,320 – unemployment -78,565) and is up 149,597 (employment +201,786 – unemployment -52,189) over both terms thus far. State labor force statistics for the month are as follows: 

• Total Labor Force – 6,551,585
• Change Over Month –   UP   17,310
• Change Over Year –   UP   101,225
• Change Over Gov. Wolf 1st Term –   UP    58,755
• Change Over Gov. Wolf to Date –   UP   149,597

PA non-farm* job rolls fell by 9,700 from November to December 2019, halting a string of consecutive monthly increases. Despite the decrease, a total of 32,700 new non-farm jobs were added year-over-year. Over Governor Wolf’s first term (Jan. 2015 – Jan. 2019), a total of 223,000 new non-farm jobs were added, roughly 71,000 more than were added over the four-year term of the prior Corbett Administration. The addition of 223,000 non-farm jobs over Governor Wolf’s first term ranked the commonwealth 35th out of 50 states for new percentage growth, an improvement from it’s ranking of 49th in the same survey over Governor Corbett’s term. Thus far through Governor Wolf’s second term, the commonwealth has added an additional 25,400 non-farm jobs, ranking it 33rd out of 50 states for new percentage growth over this period and bringing total growth over both of his terms to 248,400. State non-farm employment statistics for the month are as follows:

• Total Employment – 6,063,400
• Change Over Month –   DOWN   9,700
• Change Over Year –   UP   32,700
• Change Over Gov. Wolf 1st Term –   UP   223,000
• Change Over Gov. Wolf to Date –   UP    248,400

*Total employment for labor force provided by U.S. Census Household survey. The separate BLS Establishment survey measures non-farm jobs only.

State Job Growth Ranking for 2019

Data source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Ranked by seasonally adjusted non-farm job growth percentage