A Note on the Limitations of Union Membership Data

Data on US union membership is limited in its accuracy, comparability, and historical continuity. Basic discrepancies in the definition of the standard measure of membership, the dues-paying member, have limited the accuracy of estimates obtained from such sources as the Bureau of Labor Statistics,...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Industrial relations (Berkeley) 1984-01, Vol.23 (1), p.113-118
Main Author: CHAISON, GARY N.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Polls & surveys
Union dues
Union membership
Unionization
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Summary:Data on US union membership is limited in its accuracy, comparability, and historical continuity. Basic discrepancies in the definition of the standard measure of membership, the dues-paying member, have limited the accuracy of estimates obtained from such sources as the Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Bureau of Economic Research, and the Current Population Survey. A questionnaire sent to 203 national and international unions and employees associations elicited usable responses from 49 unions representing 6,208,930 members. The results indicated that union calculations of dues-paying members may include unemployed, retired, and disabled members (who pay partial or no dues) and exclude members in the military forces. In addition, overlapping memberships were noted in a few occupations, and annual membership variations were observed. Extreme caution is required in the use of union membership data obtained from self-reports or financial records.
ISSN:0019-8676
1468-232X
DOI:10.1111/j.1468-232X.1984.tb00880.x