UNION MEMBERSHIP DROPS West Virginia Union Ranks Drop in 2012
Reported by: Associated Press
Web Producer: Jeff Morris
Reported: Jan. 24, 2013 10:45 AM EST
Updated: Jan. 24, 2013 11:08 AM EST
Eyewitness News Photo
Charleston
, Kanawha County
, West Virginia
The number of unionized workers in West Virginia dropped by about 9,000 last year and is nearing its lowest level in three decades.
A report this week by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows about 84,000 union members had jobs in the state in 2012. That's about 12 percent of the work force.
But that's slightly better than the national rate.
The bureau said that nationally, membership dropped last year from 11.8 percent to 11.3 percent of the work force.
That's the lowest level since the 1930s. The decline happened as cash-strapped state and local governments shed workers and unions faced challenges organizing new members.
The Charleston Daily Mail said West Virginia's number is the second-lowest since 1983.
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