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Recession hits U.S. unions harder than in Canada

71% of Canadian public sector workers belong to a union compared to 16% of private sector workers.

Ottawa (26 Jan. 2011) - Canadian unions have weathered the global downturn better than American unions but much room remains for organizing on both sides of the border.

The U.S. Department of Labor says the rate of union membership has now fallen to a 70-year low across the United States.

The percentage of workers who belong to a union in the U.S. dropped to 11.9% last year from 12.3% in 2009. It had been above 20% in the 1980s. The percentage of private sector workers in a union dropped to 6.9% – the lowest in a century.

By contrast, the portion of Canadian workers belonging to a union increased to 29.6% last year from 29.5% in 2009, according to Statistics Canada.

However, the level has dropped from about 38% in the 1980s. Nearly 71% of public sector workers belong to a union in Canada compared with 16% of private sector employees.

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