ABSTRACT
Over the past forty-five years nonagricultural private sector union density in the U.S. has declined from a high of over 34 percent in 1956 to below 10 percent in 2000. This dramatic and unprecedented drop in private sector unionization raises serious questions about the possibilities for the future of the U.S. labor movement. This trend has led to three different (but connected) streams of commentary: reasons for the decline in union density; debates about whether the decline is temporary or long term; and recommendations for practices, strategies, and policies that might turn the trend around.
