Changing patterns of unionization

Statistics Canada

In 2004, more than 4 million workers were unionized, up 43% from 1977. The increase in unionization, however, has lagged behind employment growth. The proportion of workers belonging to a union has actually declined substantially among young male workers: the unionization rate for men aged 25 to 34 dropped from 43% in 1981 to 24% in 2004.

The decrease in union membership among young men was partly responsible for the erosion of their wages and pension plans in the 1980s and 1990s. The decline in unionization rates also coincided with a drop in wages and pension benefits among new hires from 1981 to 2004.

Women tend to work in highly unionized industries such as education, health care and public administration. As a result, while the proportion of unionized men fell sharply, the percentage of unionized women remained almost unchanged from 1981 to 2004. These divergent trends resulted in the convergence of male and female unionization rates—the difference was less than one percentage point in 2004—which in turn may have helped narrow the wage gap between the sexes.

There are more and more unionized employees among part-time workers and workers in temporary jobs, two groups with steadily growing employment numbers. Despite this growth, the unionization rates for workers in these types of jobs are still very low. In addition, proportionally fewer part-time and temporary workers have employee benefits such as medical and dental plans and employer-sponsored pension plans. They also tend to have lower average wages than the working population as a whole.

- Average annual individual CEO compensation in the U.S. rose from an average of $3.7 million in 1993 to more than $10 million after 1998, reaching a high of $17.4 million in 2000. The combined pay of the top five excutives of 1500 public companies (as  per a published study in the Oxford Review of Economic Policy) toatal $40 billion a year.

the 10 highest CEO's in Canada were:

* Hank Swartout              Precision Trust               $74,824,335

* Hunter Harrison             CN Rail                          $56,219,496

* John Hunkin                  CIBC                              $29,471,306

* James Buckee              Talisman Energy             $23,330,301

* William Doyle                Potash Corp of Sask       $22,128.851

* Donald Walker              Magna International         $19,557,890

* Andre Desmaras           Power Corp Can             $18,844,090

* Gwyn Morgan               EnCan Corp                    $18,162,456

* Richard Waugh              Bank of Nova Scotia        $17,180,536  

STRIKE PREP TIPS /CALM

No one wants to strike. But if you find yourself on the picket line, here are a few things you can do to make things easier.

 Personal items: Take them home before the strike is called. You will not be able to retrieve them after the strike starts.

 Bills: Arrange for a line of credit with your bank ahead of time. Strike pay will not cover all your regular weekly expenses.

 Picket-line clothing: Dress in layers and wear good footwear—feet should be well insulated in winter.

 Transportation: If at all possible, take the bus, walk, bike or carpool to the picket line. Parking can be a problem because company parking lots will be off limits.

 Cell phones: If you have one, bring it to the picket line.

 Refreshments: The strike committee will arrange food and drinks for the picketers.

 Toilets: Portables are usually provided.

 Comradeship: Be prepared to make new life-long friendships on the picket lines. To quote Red Green, “We’re all in this together.”