New Bureau of Labor Statistics figures for 1999 show union membership had its largest annual increase in two decades despite a host of obstacles.

Union membership grew by 265,000 in 1999, enough to keep up with the growing U.S. workforce, the federal agency reported. Union workers now total 16.5 million, or 13.9 percent of the total U.S. workforce, according to BLS statistics for last year.

The percentage of union members remained the same despite the expanding number of workers. But the rise was still significant and showed the long-term erosion of union membership has reversed, the AFL-CIO asserted. It was also the first time since 1978 that union membership in the private sector had started upward after a long decline.

And the growth came despite the loss of more than 100,000 jobs in manufacturing – many due to closing American plants and moving them overseas following enactment of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

The figures showed that government workers had a higher unionization rate than workers in the private sector, 37.3 percent to 9.4 percent respectively. The report also noted that union members had median weekly earnings of $672 compared with a median of $516 for those not represented by a labor union.

AFL-CIO Pres. John J. Sweeney was happy with the news, noting: "We're turning the corner, but we're not at our destination yet . . . Our challenge for the future is to remain focused and to broaden our efforts. It's crucial for unions to continue to grow if working men and women are going to have a stronger voice in the issues that matter to them the most."

According to AFL-CIO figures, at least 600,000 workers joined unions in 1999, although the federation does not count them officially until they have negotiated and approved a collective bargaining agreement. Because of employer appeals and other delaying tactics, many new members will have to wait until the judicial process wins them their rights. It is another example of the failure of the National Labor Relations Act to protect workers' rights to join a union of their choice, said GCIU Pres. James J. Norton.

The AFL-CIO cites recent polls indicating that a rising number of Americans would welcome joining a union. Of particular importance is polling that shows that a majority of younger workers between 18 and 34 who are not union members say they would vote to join one if given the opportunity. They point to the 1999 vote to unionize by 10,000 graduate assistants at California universities.

"The numbers reflect a broadening commitment to organizing at all levels of the labor movement, said AFL-CIO Organizing Director Kirk Adams.

The Lead Organizer Training and Membership Education and Mobilizing for Organizing (MEMO) programs are evidence of the upsurge in organizing in the GCIU, Norton observed.

In addition to training GCIU members how to organize, the organizing classes energize members to find organizing targets, he said.