The decline of union membership was mostly caused by the decision to divest The U.S. of it's manufacturing base.
This left clerical and service jobs. Since white collar workers don't face the dangerous working conditions that blue collar workers live with they don't value the protections that unions can provide.
White collar workers are also easier to divide. Many companies work to stop employees from talking to each other about their wages.
Can it be that so many of you are so young you don't remember how much better off the average worker was when we had strong unions?
Try again .............
Unions in Decline
In recent decades, union power has declined considerably. In 1945, union membership peaked at 35% of non-agricultural workers. Today, only 12% of all workers are union members, and if government employees are taken out of the equation, the percentage of the civilian workers that are members of unions falls to 8%.
Economists offer several explanations for this rapid decline of union power. Some argue that company hostility to unions is the main cause. Armed with supportive legislation like the Taft- Hartley Act, large companies have waged a systematic campaign to eliminate union contracts and undercut union influence.
Yet other economists argue almost the opposite—that overly aggressive unions are primarily to blame for their loss of influence. In the global economy, unions have hurt themselves by demanding too much from employers that can easily take their jobs elsewhere.
Other economists argue that the changing composition of the workforce is more responsible for declining union membership. Women and teenagers represent a larger part of the workforce than they did 50 years ago. And for many of these, their jobs represent a second or temporary income. Consequently, they are less interested in the long-term employment objectives pursued by unions. Similarly, illegal immigrants, now numbering, according to the United States Census, around 10.4 million adults, are not usually receptive to union organizing efforts.
Some economists argue that the shifting structure of the American economy is more responsible for declining union membership. Unions were well established in heavy industries, like steel and autos. But those represent a far smaller part of the economy than they did a half century ago. Far more jobs are being created in the service sector, which has proven resistant to union organization.
Finally, some economists suggest that since government has taken over some of the roles filled by unions in the past, union membership is less essential to workers. Congressional mandates addressing workplace discrimination and conditions, and establishing protections for family and medical leave, have addressed some of the worker concerns that formally led workers into unions.
Unions in Decline
