Identify some of the trends and characteristics of organized labor. For example, discuss how the statistics compare for percentage of government vs. private sector employees with union membership, what occupational groups and industries have the highest percentage of unionized workers, and what regions of the country have the highest and lowest union membership

Organized labor is in flux in the United States. Today, the percentage of the workforce that is unionized is about half of what it was in the 1950s. However, union membership grew by 311,000 the year before the textbook was published. The largest unions are national in scope, with many affiliated locals throughout the country. More than four times as great a percentage of government as private sector employees are in unions (35.9 vs. 7.5 percent). The two occupational groups with the greatest percentage of union membership are education (37.3 percent) and police and fire (34.7 percent). The private industries with the highest percentage of union workers include transportation and utilities; construction; and installation, maintenance, and repair. Union membership is highest in the Northeast, North Central, and Pacific states. Half of all union workers live in the six states of California, New York, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. Union membership is lowest in the South.