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Union Membership Increases
Though employment is down in Illinois over the last two years, union membership is up.

Through the end of last year, 997,000 Illinois workers were covered by union contracts, representing 18.3 percent of the workforce, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is the highest number and the highest rate since 2003, when just over 1 million Illinois workers were covered by union contracts. The national rate of union membership is about 12 percent.

University of Illinois industrial relations and human resources management professor Monica Bielski Boris says in these tough economic times, union members at least have something. "Although many employers have tried to break collective bargaining agreements or re-open them to get wage concessions and things like that -- we've heard a lot about that in the auto industry -- there still is definitely a level of protection provided by having that agreement," she says.

Boris says the public has mixed feelings about unions, but they're learning that corporations aren't all sweetness and light either, and organizing gives workers some protection against bosses' whims.

Borris says the gain in union workers in Illinois is largely from non-managerial professionals, especially in the public sector. She says a lot of Illinois' job losses have been among non-union workers.

(Illinois Radio Network)
04 19 10 by Newsroom
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