U.S. union membership rate declines, even in Hawaii

The nation's union membership rate continued a decades-long slide last year, falling to 11.8 percent of the U.S. work force in 2011, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Jan.27.

That was down from 11.9 percent the previous year even though total union membership rose by 49,000 to 14.76 million. The membership rate declined because the increases in organized labor's ranks did not keep pace with overall employment growth.

Hawaii remained the third-highest unionized state at 21.5 percent despite slipping from 21.8 percent in 2010. New York had the highest unionization rate at 24.1 percent, followed by Alaska at 22.1 percent.