United States: American unionism undergoing radical transformation

More union members in services. “Unions fought and objected as much as they could” explained Gibb Surette, legal delegate for the powerful United Auto Workers (UAW), adding that “many sectors cracked.” Focused on manufacturing, unions nevertheless managed to get a foothold in services (computing, NICT, teaching, civil service…). At the heart of the Silicon Valley, California, the number of union members in the high tech sector now reaches 40% (as opposed to 12% for the national average). The Change to Win (CtoW) union, created in 2005 after a schism within the powerful AFL-CIO, and which includes the services’ union, decided to give priority to precarious and low-paid employees in the services sector. The objective is now achieved and unionization rate is going to. 36% of employees are union members in services as opposed to 7.6% in the rest of the private sector. For the first time in a long time, union membership in the US is slightly increasing, reaching 12.4% in 2008 against 12.1% in 2007, i.e. 428,000 more members in 2008 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, BLS), for a national total of 16.1 union members. According to the BLS, the new members are mostly government employees.
Enjoy this article for free while you’re in your trial period
You have access to our content for 1 month.

union, decided to give priority to precarious and low-paid employees in the services sector. The objective is now achieved and unionization rate is going to. 36% of employees are union members in services as opposed to 7.6% in the rest of the private sector. For the first time in a long time, union membership in the US is slightly increasing, reaching 12.4% in 2008 against 12.1% in 2007, i.e. 428,000 more members in 2008 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, BLS), for a national total of 16.1 union mem

Do you have information to share with us?
What you absolutely must read this week
The essential content of the week selected by the editorial team.
See all
Seven major companies offer training to raise awareness of domestic and sexual violence
L’Oréal, Engie, LVMH, Publicis, Accor and Orange are encouraging their staff to take part in the Safe Spaces training programme on domestic and sexual violence, developed by insurance...
10 November 2025
Romania: collective agreement extended to entire insurance sector
On 3 November, Romania’s National Tripartite Council for Social Dialogue approved the extension of the collective labour agreement signed on 23 May by the Confederation of Employers in the...
United Kingdom largely retained within scope of EWCs despite Brexit, study shows
A study published this month by the Institute for Economic and Social Research, the French trade union research organisation, examined how the involvement of British representatives in European...
Spain: government approves creation of ‘intern status’
The Spanish government has paved the way for the creation of a new status for "persons undergoing non-professional practical training in companies, institutions or public or private organisations...
Most viewed articles of the month on mind HR
What readers clicked on the most last month.
What readers clicked on the most last month.
1
Germany: pensioners in work already common practice, study shows
As the German government steps up measures to encourage people to stay in work beyond the legal retirement age, a new study by the Institute of Economic and Social Research (WSI) – an independent...
2
Spain: government approves creation of ‘intern status’
The Spanish government has paved the way for the creation of a new status for "persons undergoing non-professional practical training in companies, institutions or public or private organisations...
3
France: social conference on labour and pensions to proceed without main employers’ group
The preparatory meeting ahead of the social conference on labour and pensions, which is set to decide on the pension system model and the funding thereof, was held on 4 November at France's labour...
4
Luxembourg: two pension reform bills submitted to parliament
After lengthy negotiations with the social partners, in mid-October the Luxembourg government submitted two bills to parliament aimed at reforming the pension system to ensure its long-term...
5
Candice Guillot (Talan): “Our recruiters save just over 80 hours per year on administrative tasks thanks to AI”
Candice Guillot, group director of employee experience and HR performance at Talan (7,000 employees), outlines for mind RH her vision and strategy for introducing artificial intelligence at the...