Vital Statistics

Union Membership as a percentage of total U.S. Labor Force

Source: Two datasets are available. The first was compiled by the Congressional Research Service. The second is an analysis of the Current Population Survey, and is available at UnionStats.com.

• Total Union Members: 14.7 Million
• Percentage of Workforce that is Unionized: 11.9%
• Private Sector Employees: 7.0 million (6.9%)
• Public Sector Employees: 7.6 million (36.2%)
  

Source: UnionStats.com analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics ' Current Population Survey.

• Unfair Labor Practices filed against unions in the last 10 years: 65,529
• • Duty of Fair Representation 27,102
  • Hiring Halls 1,855
  • Union Security Related (including Beck) 1,420
  • Actions of Picketers 1,362
  • Coercive Statements 1,161

Source: National Labor Relations Board Case Activity Tracking System database.

• Annual Dues Paid to Unions: $8,209,113,955
• Total Union Assets: $8,775,962,626
• Total Spending
• Representational Activities: $4,074,510,945
• Political Activities: $582,248,875
• External Contributions: $333,982,197
• Overhead: $3,914,513,501
• Unions that fail to pass Department of Labor audits: 92%

• Total union officers and staff members: 173,389 people
• Total compensation paid to union officials and officers: $1,152,061,495
• Total compensation paid to union employees: $2,563,981,776

• Major Unions with White Presidents: 94%
• Major Unions with Male Presidents: 89%

• Union Election Win Rate: 68.6%

  Unions claim the traditional secret ballot election is “broken,” yet unions The National Labor Relations Board reports that unions won 915 of the 1,333 elections that they called in FY 2009.

  Source: National Labor Relations Board Annual Report, FY 2009, Table 13.

• Unions Organized by Card Check: 38%

  An analysis of data from the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) indicates that 38 percent of all union recognitions in 2009 bypassed secret ballot elections, and instead used card checks to unionize employees. Specifically, the NLRB reports that unions won 794 single-union representation elections (RC). During that period, the NLRB recorded 485 notices of card check union recognition.

  Source: National Labor Relations Board Dana Notices.

• Percentage of Employees that Voted for their union: Less than 10%

  Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the National Labor Relations Board indicates that less than 10 percent of currently unionized employees voted for the union in their workplace.

Votes Cast in Union Organizing Elections

• Recorded Incidents of Union Violence and Intimidation since 1975: 9,000+
• Union Racketeering Indictments since 2001: 2,056
• Fines Paid Resulting from DOL Racketeering Investigations since 2001: $670 million

• Pension Funds controlled by unions: 7,585
• Average Pension Funding Level: 48%