This report examines the unionization rates of African-American workers and finds that the relative representation of African Americans has been steadily declining in unions, manufacturing, and auto manufacturing.

Ben Zipperer

John Schmitt

English

Research Papers in Economics

BRIEFING PAPER • January 2006 
 
Center for Economic and 
Policy Research 
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Suite 400 
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www.cepr.net 
The Decline in African-American 
Representation in Unions and Auto 
Manufacturing, 1979-2004  
 
BY JOHN SCHMITT AND BEN ZIPPERER 
 
Summary 
 
   Between 1983 and 2004, the share of African-American workers who were either 
members of a union or represented by a union at their place of employment fell 
substantially, from 31.7 percent of all black workers in 1983 to 16.6 percent in 
2004. In 2004, African-Americans were still more likely to be in a union (16.6 
percent) than whites (13.9) and Hispanics (11.4 percent). Nevertheless, the 
decline in union membership for black workers between 1983 and 2004 was 
sharper for blacks (down 15.1 percentage points) than it was for whites (down 8.3 
percentage points) and Hispanics (down 12.8 percentage points). (See Table 1.) 
   Between 1979 and 2004, the share of African Americans working in 
manufacturing declined from 23.9 percent in 1979 to 10.6 percent in 2004. 
Whites saw slightly smaller declines (from 23.5 percent to 12.1 percent), while 
Hispanics experienced a bigger drop off (from 30.2 percent to 13.7 percent). (See 
Table 2.) 
   Between 1979 and 2004, the share of workers in auto manufacturing dropped for 
blacks, whites, and Hispanics. Blacks suffered the biggest declines –a 0.8 
percentage-point decline, from 2.1 percentage points in 1979 to 1.3 percentage 
points in 2004-- compared to a 0.2 percentage point drop for whites and 
Hispanics. (See Table 3.) 
   Throughout the entire 1983-2004 period, black workers have represented 13-15 
percent of all union workers. Over the same period, the share of whites in the 
total union workforce fell from 78.1 percent to 70.1 percent, and the share of 
Hispanics rose from 5.8 percent to 11.0 percent of all union workers. (See Table 
4.) 
   Throughout the entire period from 1979 to 2004, the share of African-American 
workers in the total manufacturing workforce hovered around 10 percent. 
Meanwhile, the share of white workers fell from  82.1 percent of all 
manufacturing workers in 1979 to 69.5 percent in 2004. Hispanics (and other 
John Schmitt is an Economist and Ben Zipperer is a Research Assistant at the Center for Economic and Policy 
Research. CEPR thanks the Rockefeller Foundation for its financial support. The Decline in African-American Representation in Unions and Auto Manufacturing, 1979-2004 • 2 
workers) increased their representation in the manufacturing workforce over the same period (up 
from 6.1 percent of manufacturing jobs in 1979 to 14.6 percent in 2004, for Hispanics). (See 
Table 5.) 
   In 2004, blacks made up 14.5 percent of the auto manufacturing workforce; whites were 73.3 
percent; Hispanics, 7.5 percent. Between 1979 and 2004, the share of blacks and whites in the 
total auto manufacturing workforce both fell. The share of Hispanic and other workers, 
meanwhile, increased, although remained at relatively low levels. (See Table 6.) 
   Interpreting the preceding changes in the distribution of African-American employment and 
unionization rates can be complicated since the share of African Americans and other racial and 
ethnic groups in the total workforce has changed over time. Tables 8, 9, and 10 show the 
"relative representation" of whites, blacks, and Hispanics in the total union workforce (Table 8), 
the total manufacturing workforce (Table 9), and the auto manufacturing workforce (Table 10). 
The simplest way to explain the calculation is with an example. To calculate the relative 
representation of African Americans in the share of all union workers, we take the ratio of the 
share of African Americans in all union workers (13.5 percent in 2004, in Table 4) to the share of 
African Americans in the total workforce (10.6 percent in 2004, in Table 7). The resulting ratio is 
1.27, which is greater than 1, indicates that African Americans are "over-represented" among 
union workers since there is a larger share of African Americans in unions than there is in the 
workforce as a whole. In the same year, Hispanics made up 11.0 percent of union workers, but 
12.9 percent of the total workforce, resulting in a relative representation of 0.85, which is less 
than 1, indicating that Hispanics are "under-represented" among union workers. If a group has 
the same share of workers in unions as they do in the total workforce, then the ratio for relative 
representation would equal one (which is close to the rate for whites in 2004, 0.99). 
   In 2004, African-American workers were "over-represented" in unions (Table 8) and in auto 
manufacturing (Table 10), but are actually "under-represented" in manufacturing as a whole 
(Table 9). 
   The relative representation of African Americans has been steadily declining in unions (Table 8),  
manufacturing (from the mid-1990s, Table 9), and auto manufacturing (Table 10). From the mid-
1990s on, black workers have actually been under-represented in manufacturing, relative to the 
rest of the economy (Table 9). Meanwhile, white workers have held their ground in 
manufacturing (Table 9), and have actually increased their relative representation in unions (Table 
8) and auto manufacturing (Table 10). 
 The Decline in African-American Representation in Unions and Auto Manufacturing, 1979-2004 • 3 
Data Appendix 
 
All data are from the CEPR uniform extracts of the Current Population Survey Outgoing Rotation 
Group. For full details, see http://www.ceprdata.org/. 
 The Decline in African-American Representation in Unions and Auto Manufacturing, 1979-2004 • 4 
 
TABLE 1
Share of workers in unions, by race or ethnicity, 1983-2004
Black White Hispanic
1979 -- -- --
1980 -- -- --
1981 -- -- --
1982 -- -- --
1983 31.7 22.2 24.2
1984 29.2 20.5 22.8
1985 27.3 19.5 21.3
1986 26.6 19.0 20.0
1987 25.3 18.4 19.1
1988 25.9 18.1 17.8
1989 25.2 17.8 16.9
1990 24.2 17.7 16.5
1991 24.1 17.4 17.6
1992 24.0 17.1 16.9
1993 23.6 17.1 16.6
1994 22.9 16.8 15.9
1995 22.2 16.1 14.8
1996 21.2 15.8 14.6
1997 20.1 15.4 13.5
1998 19.7 15.1 13.2
1999 19.2 15.1 13.1
2000 18.9 14.7 12.8
2001 18.7 14.7 12.5
2002 18.8 14.4 12.0
2003 18.2 14.2 12.0
2004 16.6 13.9 11.4
Notes: Authors' analysis of CEPR extract of the Current Population
Survey Outgoing Rotation Group. Union workers are either members of
a union or covered by a collective-bargaining agreement.
 
 
 
 The Decline in African-American Representation in Unions and Auto Manufacturing, 1979-2004 • 5 
TABLE 2
Share of workers in manufacturing, by race or ethnicity, 1979-2004
(percent)
Black White Hispanic
1979 23.9 23.5 30.2
1980 22.8 22.9 28.9
1981 22.8 22.5 28.5
1982 20.8 21.2 26.7
1983 20.6 20.5 23.8
1984 21.2 20.7 24.4
1985 20.2 20.1 25.3
1986 19.9 19.7 24.0
1987 19.3 19.1 23.0
1988 18.7 19.0 22.1
1989 18.5 18.8 22.0
1990 18.4 18.4 21.7
1991 18.1 17.9 20.3
1992 17.7 17.3 19.8
1993 16.5 16.8 19.4
1994 16.2 16.8 19.3
1995 16.2 16.8 19.2
1996 16.0 16.5 18.1
1997 15.6 16.2 18.6
1998 14.9 16.0 17.7
1999 14.5 15.4 16.9
2000 13.6 15.0 17.1
2001 12.5 14.3 16.4
2002 12.0 13.5 14.8
2003 10.9 12.5 14.0
2004 10.6 12.1 13.7
Notes: Authors' analysis of CEPR extract of the Current Population
Survey Outgoing Rotation Group.
 
 
 
 The Decline in African-American Representation in Unions and Auto Manufacturing, 1979-2004 • 6 
TABLE 3
Share of workers in auto manufacturing, by race or ethnicity, 1979-2004
(percent)
Black White Hispanic
1979 2.1 1.3 0.8
1980 1.3 1.0 0.6
1981 1.5 1.0 0.5
1982 1.2 0.8 0.4
1983 1.5 1.0 0.6
1984 1.9 1.1 0.8
1985 1.6 1.1 0.8
1986 1.7 1.1 0.8
1987 1.3 1.0 0.9
1988 1.5 1.0 0.7
1989 1.5 1.0 0.6
1990 1.3 1.0 0.6
1991 1.2 0.9 0.6
1992 1.3 1.0 0.6
1993 1.2 1.0 0.6
1994 1.4 1.0 0.6
1995 1.2 1.0 0.6
1996 1.4 1.0 0.5
1997 1.5 1.0 0.5
1998 1.2 1.0 0.7
1999 1.3 1.0 0.5
2000 1.3 1.0 0.5
2001 1.1 0.9 0.5
2002 1.1 0.9 0.5
2003 1.3 1.1 0.5
2004 1.3 1.1 0.6
Notes: Authors' analysis of CEPR extract of the Current Population
Survey Outgoing Rotation Group. Auto workers defined as those in 
"Motor Vehicle and Equipment Manufacturing."
 
 
 
 The Decline in African-American Representation in Unions and Auto Manufacturing, 1979-2004 • 7 
TABLE 4
Distribution of union workers by race or ethnicity, 1983-2004
(percent)
Share of union workers who are:
Black White Hispanic
1979 -- -- --
1980 -- -- --
1981 -- -- --
1982 -- -- --
1983 13.7 78.1 5.8
1984 14.1 77.3 6.1
1985 14.1 76.5 6.9
1986 14.1 76.2 6.9
1987 14.2 75.8 7.2
1988 14.8 75.2 7.1
1989 14.9 75.2 6.9
1990 14.3 75.6 7.1
1991 14.4 74.7 7.7
1992 14.6 74.6 7.6
1993 14.6 74.9 7.7
1994 14.7 73.6 8.4
1995 15.1 73.5 8.4
1996 14.7 73.1 8.7
1997 14.6 72.8 8.9
1998 14.9 72.2 9.1
1999 14.7 72.1 9.3
2000 14.9 71.5 9.7
2001 14.7 71.6 9.7
2002 14.9 71.4 9.5
2003 14.4 69.3 11.1
2004 13.5 70.1 11.0
Notes: Authors' analysis of CEPR extract of the Current Population
Survey Outgoing Rotation Group. Union workers are either members of
a union or covered by a collective-bargaining agreement.
 
 
 
 The Decline in African-American Representation in Unions and Auto Manufacturing, 1979-2004 • 8 
TABLE 5
Distribution of manufacturing workers by race or ethnicity, 1979-2004
(percent)
Share of manufacturing workers who are:
Black White Hispanic
1979 9.9 82.1 6.1
1980 9.9 81.5 6.5
1981 10.0 81.0 6.8
1982 10.0 81.1 6.7
1983 10.2 80.9 6.2
1984 10.2 80.6 6.5
1985 10.1 79.2 8.0
1986 10.2 78.8 8.2
1987 10.3 78.2 8.3
1988 10.3 78.3 8.5
1989 10.2 78.0 8.7
1990 10.5 77.6 8.9
1991 10.5 77.3 8.9
1992 10.7 76.8 9.1
1993 10.4 76.9 9.3
1994 10.2 75.9 10.5
1995 10.4 76.0 10.5
1996 10.5 74.7 10.3
1997 10.5 73.2 11.4
1998 10.4 73.5 11.3
1999 10.6 73.2 11.4
2000 10.2 72.4 12.3
2001 9.9 72.4 12.4
2002 10.2 72.2 12.4
2003 9.7 69.5 14.2
2004 9.7 69.5 14.6
Notes: Authors' analysis of CEPR extract of the Current Population
Survey Outgoing Rotation Group.
 
 
 
 The Decline in African-American Representation in Unions and Auto Manufacturing, 1979-2004 • 9 
 
TABLE 6
Distribution of auto workers by race or ethnicity
(percent)
Share of motor vehicle workers who are:
Black White Hispanic
1979 17.0 79.4 2.9
1980 15.4 80.6 3.1
1981 15.4 80.4 3.2
1982 16.5 79.9 2.7
1983 16.6 78.6 3.5
1984 15.9 79.2 3.6
1985 14.3 80.2 4.2
1986 15.2 78.9 4.6
1987 14.0 78.7 5.7
1988 14.5 79.1 5.0
1989 15.9 78.8 3.8
1990 14.2 79.9 4.4
1991 13.6 79.9 4.9
1992 14.0 79.7 4.8
1993 13.5 79.7 5.1
1994 14.3 77.2 5.6
1995 13.0 79.3 5.8
1996 15.0 76.8 4.7
1997 15.9 76.0 4.7
1998 14.0 75.4 7.2
1999 14.6 76.7 6.0
2000 15.1 76.4 5.7
2001 15.3 75.1 6.0
2002 14.3 75.5 6.3
2003 14.5 74.8 6.5
2004 14.5 73.3 7.5
Notes: Authors' analysis of CEPR extract of the Current Population
Survey Outgoing Rotation Group. Auto workers defined as those in 
"Motor Vehicle and Equipment Manufacturing."
 
 The Decline in African-American Representation in Unions and Auto Manufacturing, 1979-2004 • 10 
 
 
TABLE 7
Distribution of total workforce by race or ethnicity, 1979-2004
(percent)
Share of all workers who are:
Black White Hispanic
1979 9.4 83.7 4.7
1980 9.3 83.4 5.1
1981 9.2 83.2 5.3
1982 9.1 83.3 5.2
1983 9.2 83.0 5.2
1984 9.5 82.5 5.4
1985 9.7 81.4 6.3
1986 9.7 80.9 6.6
1987 9.9 80.3 6.9
1988 10.0 79.9 7.2
1989 10.0 79.6 7.3
1990 10.0 79.4 7.5
1991 10.0 79.3 7.5
1992 10.0 79.0 7.6
1993 10.0 78.9 7.8
1994 10.3 77.7 8.8
1995 10.5 77.6 8.9
1996 10.5 76.3 9.2
1997 10.5 75.4 9.8
1998 10.8 74.8 10.1
1999 10.9 74.4 10.3
2000 11.0 73.7 10.7
2001 11.0 73.4 10.9
2002 10.9 73.3 11.1
2003 10.6 71.1 12.7
2004 10.6 70.8 12.9
Notes: Authors' analysis of CEPR extract of the Current Population
Survey Outgoing Rotation Group.
 
 
 The Decline in African-American Representation in Unions and Auto Manufacturing, 1979-2004 • 11 
 
TABLE 8
Relative representation in union workforce, by race or ethnicity, 1983-2004
(Representation among unions / representation total workforce)
Black White Hispanic
1979 -- -- --
1980 -- -- --
1981 -- -- --
1982 -- -- --
1983 1.49 0.94 1.12
1984 1.48 0.94 1.13
1985 1.45 0.94 1.10
1986 1.45 0.94 1.05
1987 1.43 0.94 1.04
1988 1.48 0.94 0.99
1989 1.49 0.94 0.95
1990 1.43 0.95 0.95
1991 1.44 0.94 1.03
1992 1.46 0.94 1.00
1993 1.46 0.95 0.99
1994 1.43 0.95 0.95
1995 1.44 0.95 0.94
1996 1.40 0.96 0.95
1997 1.39 0.97 0.91
1998 1.38 0.97 0.90
1999 1.35 0.97 0.90
2000 1.35 0.97 0.91
2001 1.34 0.98 0.89
2002 1.37 0.97 0.86
2003 1.36 0.97 0.87
2004 1.27 0.99 0.85
Notes: Authors' analysis of CEPR extract of the Current Population
Survey Outgoing Rotation Group.  
 
 
 
 The Decline in African-American Representation in Unions and Auto Manufacturing, 1979-2004 • 12 
 
TABLE 9
Relative representation in manufacturing, by race or ethnicity, 1979-2004
(Representation among manufacturing workers / representation total workforce)
Black White Hispanic
1979 1.05 0.98 1.30
1980 1.06 0.98 1.27
1981 1.09 0.97 1.28
1982 1.10 0.97 1.29
1983 1.11 0.97 1.19
1984 1.07 0.98 1.20
1985 1.04 0.97 1.27
1986 1.05 0.97 1.24
1987 1.04 0.97 1.20
1988 1.03 0.98 1.18
1989 1.02 0.98 1.19
1990 1.05 0.98 1.19
1991 1.05 0.97 1.19
1992 1.07 0.97 1.20
1993 1.04 0.97 1.19
1994 0.99 0.98 1.19
1995 0.99 0.98 1.18
1996 1.00 0.98 1.12
1997 1.00 0.97 1.16
1998 0.96 0.98 1.12
1999 0.97 0.98 1.11
2000 0.93 0.98 1.15
2001 0.90 0.99 1.14
2002 0.94 0.98 1.12
2003 0.92 0.98 1.12
2004 0.92 0.98 1.13
Notes: Authors' analysis of CEPR extract of the Current Population
Survey Outgoing Rotation Group.  
 
 
 
 The Decline in African-American Representation in Unions and Auto Manufacturing, 1979-2004 • 13 
TABLE 10
Relative representation in auto manufacturing, by race or ethnicity, 1979-2004
(Representation among auto workers / representation in total workforce)
Black White Hispanic
1979 1.81 0.95 0.62
1980 1.66 0.97 0.61
1981 1.67 0.97 0.60
1982 1.81 0.96 0.52
1983 1.80 0.95 0.67
1984 1.67 0.96 0.67
1985 1.47 0.99 0.67
1986 1.57 0.98 0.70
1987 1.41 0.98 0.83
1988 1.45 0.99 0.69
1989 1.59 0.99 0.52
1990 1.42 1.01 0.59
1991 1.36 1.01 0.65
1992 1.40 1.01 0.63
1993 1.35 1.01 0.65
1994 1.39 0.99 0.64
1995 1.24 1.02 0.65
1996 1.43 1.01 0.51
1997 1.51 1.01 0.48
1998 1.30 1.01 0.71
1999 1.34 1.03 0.58
2000 1.37 1.04 0.53
2001 1.39 1.02 0.55
2002 1.31 1.03 0.57
2003 1.37 1.05 0.51
2004 1.37 1.04 0.58
Notes: Authors' analysis of CEPR extract of the Current Population
Survey Outgoing Rotation Group.  
 
 
 
 The Decline in African-American Representation in Unions and Auto Manufacturing, 1979-2004 • 14 
Figure 1: Share of workers in unions, by race or ethnicity, 1983-2004 
1979 1981 1983 1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003
0.0
5.0
10.0
15.0
20.0
25.0
30.0
35.0
Black White Hispanic
P
e
r
c
e
n
t
 
Source: Authors' analysis of CEPR extract of Current Population Survey. 
 
Figure 2: Share of workers in manufacturing, by race or ethnicity, 1979-2004 
1979 1981 1983 1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003
0.0
5.0
10.0
15.0
20.0
25.0
30.0
35.0
Black White Hispanic
P
e
r
c
e
n
t
 
Source: Authors' analysis of CEPR extract of Current Population Survey. 
 The Decline in African-American Representation in Unions and Auto Manufacturing, 1979-2004 • 15 
Figure 3: Share of workers in auto manufacturing, by race or ethnicity, 1979-2004 
1979 1981 1983 1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003
0.0
1.0
2.0
3.0
4.0
5.0
Black White Hispanic
P
e
r
c
e
n
t
 
 
 
Source: Authors' analysis of CEPR extract of Current Population Survey. 
 
Figure 4: Distribution of union workers by race or ethnicity, 1983-2004 
1979 1981 1983 1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003
0.0
25.0
50.0
75.0
100.0
Black White Hispanic
P
e
r
c
e
n
t
 
 
Source: Authors' analysis of CEPR extract of Current Population Survey. 
 The Decline in African-American Representation in Unions and Auto Manufacturing, 1979-2004 • 16 
Figure 5: Distribution of manufacturing workers by race or ethnicity, 1979-2004 
1979 1981 1983 1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003
0.0
25.0
50.0
75.0
100.0
Black White Hispanic
P
e
r
c
e
n
t
 
Source: Authors' analysis of CEPR extract of Current Population Survey. 
 
Figure 6: Distribution of auto workers by race or ethnicity, 1979-2004 
 
1979 1981 1983 1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003
0.0
25.0
50.0
75.0
100.0
Black White Hispanic
P
e
r
c
e
n
t
 
Source: Authors' analysis of CEPR extract of Current Population Survey. 
 The Decline in African-American Representation in Unions and Auto Manufacturing, 1979-2004 • 17 
Figure 7: Distribution of total workforce by race or ethnicity, 1979-2004 
 
1979 1981 1983 1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003
0.0
25.0
50.0
75.0
100.0
Black White Hispanic
P
e
r
c
e
n
t
 
 
 
Source: Authors' analysis of CEPR extract of Current Population Survey. 
 
Figure 8: Relative representation in unions by race or ethnicity, 1983-2004 
1979 1981 1983 1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003
0.8
1
1.2
1.4
1.6
Black White Hispanic
P
e
r
c
e
n
t
 
 
Source: Authors' analysis of CEPR extract of Current Population Survey. 
 The Decline in African-American Representation in Unions and Auto Manufacturing, 1979-2004 • 18 
 
Figure 9: Relative representation in manufacturing by race or ethnicity, 1979-2004 
1979 1981 1983 1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003
0.80
1.00
1.20
1.40
1.60
Black White Hispanic
P
e
r
c
e
n
t
 
Source: Authors' analysis of CEPR extract of Current Population Survey. 
 
Figure 10: Relative representation in autos by race or ethnicity, 1979-2004 
1979 1981 1983 1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003
0.00
0.50
1.00
1.50
2.00
2.50
Black White Hispanic
P
e
r
c
e
n
t
 
Source: Authors' analysis of CEPR extract of Current Population Survey. 

The Decline in African-American Representation in Unions and Auto Manufacturing, 1979-2004

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The Decline in African-American Representation in Unions and Auto Manufacturing, 1979-2004

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