First, the numbers are unmistakable. At the end of 1997, when the most recent count was made, only 14.1% of workers belonged to unions, the lowest percentage since 1936 (Gross 23). This is a dramatic decrease from when unions were at their height at the end of World War II when 35.3% of Americans were in unions (Galenson 13).

One cause of this fall of union membership is the decline of manufacturing in America and the transfer of much manufacturing work over seas (Gross 24). Because of advances in technology and labor saving innovations, fewer people are required to make steel and assembler automobiles. As a result, only 16.1% of U.S. workers now work in factori

The recent NBA lockout has shaped many peoples' opinions on labor unions. Most people, myself included, thought that it was ridiculous for these people to be having a labor dispute. The players are already making an insane amount of money and the owners are millionaires themselves looking to add to their pocketbooks also. The real losers in this battle are the fans who love the game. They cannot see their favorite players in action because of this dispute. This just goes to show you that labor markets affect us in our everyday lives.

However, during the last two decades, the wage advantage for unionized workers with private jobs has fallen by 44.1 percent, although the public sector has increased by 9.5 percent (Maguire 20). Currently, 41.9% of union members are from the public sector. Among the most strongly unionized occupations are firefighters (71.6%), flight attendants (69.4%), and high school teachers (56.1%). Only 28.6 percent of coal miners belong to unions and only 19.5% of truck drivers (Hacker 47).

There are several strategies that unions have devised to return to their former glory. Unions have adopted a more lenient attitude towards management, reducing the number of strikes to record lows in the 1980s and early 90s, and attempting to negotiate contracts providing job security for members (Gross 278). Unions have also placed greater emphasis on organizing drives for new members. Although unions have been very successful in organizing government employees, they have been less successful with recruiting office workers in the rapidly expanding services sector.

What role will unions play in the future? Will they ever return to former glory? Nobody knows for sure. Economists have mixed feeling on this matter. Some say that the workers of the

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