Economic Report

By Jesse Russell

While most states saw a union membership decline in 2006, a number saw increases. Washington State continued to be a leader in union membership, jumping to 19.8 percent in 2006 from 19.1 percent the year before. The most substantial increase in union membership came out of Arizona. That state hit 7.6 percent - adding 1.5 percent of its workforce to union roles. Also seeing forward momentum in membership were Kansas, Utah, South Carolina, Tennessee and Oklahoma.