Union influence set to stabilize in the U.S. Oxford Analytica a company dedicated to the analysis of macroeconomic and social tendencis, reported yesterday that Between 1979 and 2004, union membership in the United States declined from nearly 21 million workers to under 15.4 million. While membership has been relatively stable since 1985, the percentage of workers who are union members, or "union density," shrunk from 24.1% to 12.5% as the workforce expanded. This decline has weakened unions' collective bargaining power and political clout. During the 1990s, some unions began efforts to rebuild their power. Unions, reports Oxford Analytica, have used several different methods to expand into new workplaces: 1. Community coalitions: They have joined with groups organizing women or minorities, neighborhoods and environmentalists to mount campaigns against anti-union employers. 2. Comprehensive campaigns: Unions have worked to undermine bidding processes, regulatory approvals and other activities strategic to targeted firms. 3. 'Card-check neutrality:' They have negotiated agreements with large employers in which managers pledge not to engage in anti-union campaigning in unorganized workplaces, or bypass NLRB elections if a majority of employees have signed union cards. 4. Political intervention: With allies in state and local governments, unionists have developed new laws to control low-wage competition, including "living wage" agreements. 5. Labor-management partnerships: Unions have participated in employer-led initiatives to improve the competitiveness of the workforce, such as work redesign in exchange for favorable terms in collective bargaining agreements. These levers have produced different levels of success, due to economic variations in employment sectors. Manufacturing unions, such as the International Association of Machinists or United Automobile Workers, have declined dramatically. Other unions, such as the Laborers' International Union of North America in construction and the Service Employees' International Union in health care and public services, have seen large increases in membership. Overall, Oxford Analytica predicts that the influence of unions will remain stable in the near term due to the shrinking manufacturing workforce. This also includes the fact that service, construction and public sector unions are adopting effective new organizing strategies and campaign approaches, and that worker rights have gained visibility in the mass media, through negative publicity associated with off-shoring. http://www.forbes.com/home/business/2006/03/13/us-unions-decline_cx_0314oxford.html Oxford Analytica 03.14.06, 6:00 AM ET