Unionization down again; more than half of union members are over age 45

Today, the Bureau of Labor Statistics issued its annual report on unionization. As expected, labor unions continue to lose members. Based on the new numbers from BLS and those compiled over the years at UnionStats.com, the rate has plunged from 24 percent in 1973 to just 10.7 percent last year. The unionization rate fell 0.4 percentage points from 2015, and is down nearly 3 points (or 20 percent) since 2000.

In numerical terms, union membership either fell or stayed even year-over-year in 30 states. The number of union members grew in the other 20 states — including, it should be noted, in some right-to-work states such as Indiana (up 21,000), Tennessee (up 12,000), and Utah (up 12,000).