High industry for union jobs in the United States
April 9, 2021
Workers belonging to
trade unions generally have higher wages and better benefits and retirement
packages than non-union workers.
- Are you interested in joining a union?
- Some better union jobs you can work for?
Benefits Plus reports
that union employees averaged 30% more than non-union workers.92% of union
workers have job-related health coverage compared to 68% of non-union workers
and union employees are more likely to get guaranteed pensions.
The Bureau of Labor
Statistics reports that union members earned a median weekly income of 1,041 in
2017, while those who did not belong to the union had a median weekly income of
$ 829.
While union membership
dropped overall from its peak in the 1980s, Atlantic reports that white-collar
union membership among professional and technical professionals is on the rise.
Education, training, and library jobs are occupied with a high rate (33.5%) of
union membership. In comparison, 14% of construction workers belong to trade
unions, up from 18% in 1995.
Who belongs to the
ally?
In almost every job
sector union members are working in many different types of jobs, including
blue-collar trade and factory workers, civil service administration and
administrative employees, and includes professionals working in higher
education, healthcare, and government.
The highest percentage
of union workers in the public sector (34.4%)
The highest percentage
(34.7%) of security personnel (correctional officers, firefighters, police, and
fire inspectors) are employees who are members of the coalition.
Only 6.5% of union
members are in the private sector.
Top 8 Industries for
Union Jobs
Some industries have
traditionally been more aligned than others; the union membership rate of
public sector workers (34.4%) is five times higher than that of private-sector
workers (6.5%). Depending on the occupation, some industries have a large
number of advanced union jobs. Not all jobs listed for each industry are union
status. Many industries have a combination of union and non-union workers,
depending on the lookout, occupation, and collective bargaining agreement.
Manufacturers have
some jobs available with most union workers
1: Public sector
Union members: Federal: 26.6%, State: 30.3%, Local
40.1%
Jobs Types:
In 2017, there were
7.2 million employees in the public sector, compared to 7.6 million in the
private sector. The union had the highest membership rate in local government,
with many workers seeking to occupy the union, such as teachers.
Police officers and
firefighters Occupations in the public sector are as diverse as in the private
sector. The main difference is that you are working for the government instead
of a private employer and you may need to take a civil service exam to apply.
You will be able to
apply for many government jobs online
2. Utility
Union members: 23%
Jobs Types:
Utility areas include
utility services, including electric power, natural gas, steam supply, water
supply, and sewage costs. Top jobs in this sector include control and valve
installers and repairmen, electrical engineers, electrical power-line installers
and repairmen, first-line supervisors/managers, and meter readers.
3. Transportation
Union members: 17.3%
Jobs Types:
The transportation and
warehousing sector includes passenger transport, warehousing, and storage for
luggage, warehousing and equipment, natural and tourist travel transportation,
and support activities. Jobs in the sector include airline pilots, coaches and
flight engineers, school bus drivers, railway conditioners and yardmasters,
sailors and seawater oil, and heavy and tractor-trailer truck dryers.
4. Telecommunications
Union members: 16.1%
Jobs Types:
Telecommunications has
access to and operates facilities for the transfer of voice, data, text, voice,
and video. Transmission facilities can be technology-based or a combination of
technologies. Occupations in the telecommunications industry include customer
service representatives, electronics engineers, office first-line supervisors,
and administrative support workers, equipment installers and repairmen, and
line installers and repairmen.
5. Construction
Union members: 11.4%
Jobs Types:
The educational
services sector includes schools, colleges, universities, and training centers
that provide instruction and training in a wide variety of subjects. The top
offerings in the field of education are primary, middle, and secondary school
teachers and administrators, and teacher assistants.
7. Motion pictures and
sound recording
Union members: 11.4%
Jobs Types:
The motion picture and
sound recording sector include entities involved in the production and
distribution of motion pictures and sound recordings. The field includes
professors, actors, audio and video technicians, motion picture projectors, and
producers and directors.
8. Manufacturing
Union members: 9.1%
Jobs Types:
The manufacturing
sector includes plants, factories, or mills that are engaged in mechanical,
physical, or chemical transformation of materials into new products.
Occupations in this sector include assembly workers, production workers,
inspectors, examinations, layouts, samples and weights, machines, and
purchasing agents.
How to find a union
job?
If you are starting
your career or looking for a change, a Union Apprenticeship program can provide
you with the skills you need to get started in the construction or
manufacturing industry. If you are interested in management or professional
positions, civil service jobs are available at every level of federal, state,
and local government. USAJobs list of federal jobs. Check your state and local
government websites for information on job openings and civil service exams at
your location.
Union Jobs Cleaning
House lists open allied and socially allied jobs, as well as job lists of
community organizations. Job students can review trade union staff positions,
education and trade jobs, national job openings, and list status by state. The
site also promotes jobs available on Facebook and Twitter. Follow them to get
the latest postings.
Other union job
options include the use of the Employment Board, the Trade Union and Labor
Council website, and the Career Oven Stop Apprenticeship Finder tool. Business
school programs can provide mandatory training for some union positions.
Sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics Business
Outlook Handbook, Employment Project Summary, Industry Outlook, and Union
Member Summary and Tables.