Business Beat: Union membership in decline

In the nearly half-century since I received my first paycheck, I have never joined a union. It's not that I have anything against unions; it's just that I never held a job in which union membership was an option.

I suppose the closest I ever came was possible membership in a local apple-picker's union during the brief time I worked at an orchard as a teenager, and had I continued in a broadcasting career back in the '80s, I could have joined a broadcast journalism union.

By and large, my career path has not afforded me an opportunity to join a union, but I know people in a variety of occupations who have union representation — from teachers, prison guards and professional athletes to carpenters, electricians and other tradespeople.

Their numbers, however, are in decline. From a peak in the 1950s when about a third of all U.S. wage and salary workers paid union dues, membership in the nation's labor unions has steadily declined. Between 1975 and 1985, union membership fell by 5 million and the unionized labor force in the manufacturing sector dropped below 25%. By 1990, the percentage of union workers in the United States dropped below 17%, only about half of what was in the early '50s.

By 2019, the percentage of unionized American workers had dipped to just above 10%, before rebounding slightly in 2020 to almost 11%.

Here in Missouri, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported last week fewer than 1 in 10 employees (9.4%) in the state were unionized in 2020, down from 11.1% in 2019.

That made Missouri one of 30 states (and the District of Columbia) in which the percentage of unionized workers is below the national average. States with the lowest percentages last year were South Carolina (2.9%), North Carolina (3.1%) and Utah (3.7%). Two states had union membership rates above 20% last year — Hawaii (23.7%) and New York (22%).

Are labor unions still relevant and necessary in today's economy? It depends, as many things do, on whom you ask. If anything, the role of unions has evolved and will need to adapt to changes in the U.S. economy and labor trends in order to survive.

Quick Hits ...

Old Town Cape is looking for businesses and organizations interested in reserving space in the Cape Riverfront Market's demonstration tent when the market kicks into gear in May.

"Demonstrations may include cooking with produce found at the market, children's activities, animal-based education, hands-on demonstrations and more," according to an item in a recent Old Town Cape online newsletter.

If you, your organization or your business is interested in reserving space in the tent, contact Julia Thompson at juliathompson@oldtowncape.org or complete a demonstration tent application on the Old Town Cape website, www.downtowncapegirardeau.com.

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Don't forget, Valentine's Day is next weekend (admittedly, I've almost waited too long in the past, and by the time I remembered, most of the "good" cards at the Hallmark store were gone!).

If you're looking for an unusual gift this year, consider a "radiogram" from KRCU, Southeast Missouri State University's NPR radio station. For $60, you can "broadcast" your love on KRCU's three FM frequencies — 90.9, 88.9 and 91.3 — in the form of three 15-second personalized "radiograms" on the day of your choice between now and Valentine's Day.

For more details, go to www.krcu.org.

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Greenlight, which opened Cape Girardeau's first medical marijuana dispensaries last month (1001 Broadway), opened the second of its planned four Southeast Missouri dispensaries Friday in Poplar Bluff. The Poplar Bluff dispensary is at 1435 N. Westwood Blvd.

The Kansas City-based company expects to open dispensaries in Sikeston and Hayti, Missouri, later this month.

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St. Louis Cardinals pitchers and catchers are scheduled to start working out later this week at the team's spring training complex in Jupiter, Florida.

A little (actually a lot) closer to home, it won't be long before the Cape Catfish, 2019 Western Division champions of the Prospect League, start their 2021 campaign after a one-year hiatus because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The team, which plays its home games at Capaha Park, released its 60-game schedule last week, opening on the road against the Alton (Illinois) River Dragons on May 27 before returning to Cape for a home opener the next day against the Hoots from O'Fallon, Missouri.

The team's lead partners this year (which is why I'm including this Catfish blurb in my business column) are Plaza Tire and SoutheastHEALTH.

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On another sports-related note, I wrote this column before Sunday's Super Bowl LV. However, I did get a sneak peak last week of some of the ads you saw during the game.

Did you notice all the cameos? Among them were Jason Alexander in the Tide "hoodie" commercial; Dana Carvey and Mike Myers as their alter egos in a Wayne's World spoof for Uber Eats; Shaggy, Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis in a Cheetos spot; "Flat" Matthew McConaughey in the Doritos ad; John Travolta, Martha Stewart and several others in an ad for Scott's Miracle Grow; and Michael B. Jordan as a new (and seductive) version of Amazon's Alexa.

Were any of these your favorites? Email me at jwolz@semissourian.com and let me know whether you found any of these memorable. I'll include results of this "unscientific" survey, along with some of your comments, in my column next week.

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