FT on Union activity

[qualiall_2 at yahoo.com]

....Yet the drumbeats on the West Coast belie conditions in the nation 
at large. Last year overall union membership fell more than 200,000 to 
13.5 per cent of the national workforce, maintained at that lowly level 
only by strong rosters in the public sector, where more than 35 per cent 
of employees are unionised, compared with 9 per cent in private 
businesses. 

After a small rise in 1999, the drop marked a resumption of a 
decades-old slide, which accelerated during the Clinton years as the 
unions' natural base in manufacturing fell in step with industry's 
decline and the economy boomed. 

Now, as the country contemplates the prospect of an economic dip, there 
are few signs it will be severe enough to prompt mass signings of new 
members. 

More likely, popular lack of interest in - or even dislike of - unions 
is expected to increase in the months ahead as the sabre-rattling among 
airline unions increases.....
more at:
"http://news.ft.com/ft/gx.cgi/ftc?pagename=View&c=Article&cid=FT3QQNJBAJC&live=true&tagid=ZZZOMSJK30C&subheading=US"

(FT tends to have long urls, won't be surprised if this is parsed 
incorrectly)

--KRD