Labor Day By The Numbers

Facing South has the Labor Day Index. Hate them unions all you want, but don’t even think about going back… some choice stats:

Number of workers wounded during that strike: 57

Number of workers killed: 13

U.S. union membership rate in 2008: 12.4%

U.S. union membership rate in 1983: 20.1%

In the mid-1950s: 36%

Percent more earned by full-time U.S. workers who are union members compared to their non-union counterparts: 30

Percent of union workers whose jobs provide health insurance benefits: 97

Percent of nonunion workers whose jobs provide health insurance benefits: 85

Poverty rates in the 10 states where unions are strongest: 10.4%**

Poverty in the 10 states where unions are weakest: 13.4%***